Confidentiality Kristen Zimmer

MHA690: Health Care Capstone

Instructor: Kathy Wood, PhD

Week 1, Discussion 2

Confidentiality TrainingA GUIDE TO HIPAA PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY IN THE HOSPITAL SETTING

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The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996- HIPAA for short– was enacted to safeguard patient security and privacy. The act includes two key pieces:The privacy rule helps protect patient information.The security rule standardizes security protocols for electronic

health information.(BARTEN, 2014)

Covered groups, including healthcare providers, health plans, and health care clearinghouses; must follow all provisions of HIPAA.

This includes ALL TRAINING REQUIREMENTS…

Training Requirement #1:Written Policy

HIPAA guidelines cover

1) Insurance portability

2) Fraud enforcement

3) Administrative Simplification (HIPAA & Patient Confidentiality training.)

4) To improve efficiency and efficacy of healthcare system

5)Portability ensures that individuals moving from one plan to another will have continuity and coordination of care

6)Accountability significantly increases the government’s federal fraud enforcement authority in many different area.

Training Requirement #2:Workforce Training

HIPAA requires that ALL employees, volunteers, trainees, and anyone else who represents the organization in privacy and security policies and procedures

Training will be tailored to each person’s job function

Training will be immediately upon hire

Refresher training courses will be done periodically

I, as management, will meet with top level healthcare reps as well as legal team to ensure training material’s accuracy, comprehensiveness and legality at all times!

Training Requirement #3Data Safeguards

Covered entity must maintain technical and administrative safeguards “to prevent the intentional or unintentional use or disclosure of protected health information” (Barten)

Show employees and all other stakeholders where to find, how and when to utilize and apply appropriate data protection protocols.

Go over shredding procedures, lock and/or security passwords protocols and procedures for our hospital.

Training Requirement #4:Complaints

Covered entities must utilize a privacy practice notice.

Show all employees what signed HIPAA documents look like.

Have all employees sign a confidentiality agreement, stating they will uphold all HIPAA guidelines and keep patient protected health information, PRIVATE, at all times!

Include detailed instructions for how to deal with patient complaints regarding information use and disclosure rights per HIPAA.

Please direct patients with complaints to the appropriate person or office. I would like to develop a risk management person within medical records for these types of complaints; to mediate if needed.

If they are not available for complaints, please get me.

BY getting employees to understand the importance and the many types of circumstances in which privacy and confidentiality training comes into play, maybe they can appreciate its importance.

It is the ethical route to take, let alone the fact that it is illegal to ignore HIPAA, privacy and confidentiality rules and guidelines.

I think that once employees see that the management and providers carry out any and all privacy, accountability, and confidentiality guidelines each and every day….employees will see that it really is the ONLY WAY TO GO!!

GO HIPAA!!!~Kristen M Zimmer~

References Barten, L. (2014) HIPAA employee training requirements. Chron.com. Retrieved from

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/hipaa-employee-training-requirements-2013.htmlFox News. (2008). Report Over 120 UCLA hospital staff saw celebrity health records. Retrieved from

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,398784,00.html