HIPAA and Safety Briefing for Medical Interpreters

Presented by Linda Golley on behalf of NOTIS and UWMC to

staff interpreters of SignOn July 2009

Topics

!  HIPAA for Interpreters !   Patient Rights !   Care Team Responsibility !   Interpreter HIPAA Issues

!  Safety for Interpreters !   Infection Control !   Immunization Status !   Physical and Radiation Safety !   Violence and Harassment

HIPAA—Health Information Portability and Accountability Act !   Rights of patients

!   Right to access to own info and to know who else has accessed it

!   Right to privacy !   Right to correct the record

!   Responsibility of care team !   Provide access to records to patient !   Maintain confidentiality: only divulge to

members of care team in that organization, for purposes of serving patient, need to know only.

Interpreter HIPAA Issues

!   Care team refuses interpreter access to demographic and clinical info (not OK)

!   How much info to share with interpreter company coordinator? (info needed to assure proper care)

!   How much info to share with interpreters taking over care of patient? (gossip vs. need-to-know)

!   Interpreter’s management of spoken and written material (guard both)

Safety—Infection Control

!   Bottom line: Do not bring germs in or out or get sick yourself

!   No food, drink, make-up, contacts in patient care areas

!   Be aware of and compliant with posted precautions for specific areas and specific patients

!   Know proper hand-hygiene method !  Wear proper shoes, clothing, nails, hair !   Hyper-vigilance: NICU, rad-onc/ infusion

pts, HIV/ AIDS pts, transplant pts, ICU

Infection Control-- No food, drink, make-up application, contact lens care in patient care areas !  Dept. of Health requirement, big ding

if observed. !  For interpreter’s protection. !  Consider every surface in public

areas suspect, and every surface in patient care areas dangerous.

!  Consider the air contaminated by droplets.

Safety—Immunization Status

!   TB screening annually or even q 6 mo !   Infections that can be avoided through

immunization !   Measles !   Mumps !   Rubella !   Varicella !   Hepatitis B !   Tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis

!   Annual flu vaccine !   Endemic or epidemic situations

Safety—Physical and Radiation Safety

!  Sharp objects can cut, infect !  Spills of biohazardous or chemical

materials !  Neck vulnerability (cords, jewelry) !  Back injury from patient falls,

wheelchair runaway !  Radiation if not shielded correctly

Safety—Violence

!  Violence: recognize and handle !   Care team members !   Patients !   Family members !   General public !   Protect, de-escalate, document, report,

avoid

Safety--Harassment

!  Harassment: recognize and handle !   Verbal !   Sexual !   Physical !   Racism/sexism/other isms !   Verify, call it out, document, report,

deflect