Keeping It Personal Health Information You Can Trust

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Keeping It PersonalHealth Information You Can
Trust

• Protecting Personal Health Information

By Jill Burrington-Brown, MS, RHIA, FAHIMA
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What Does Protecting Personal Health Information
Mean?

• Making sure it is private
• Making sure it is accessible to the appropriate
  provider
• Making sure it is safeguarded from unauthorized
  users
• Educating healthcare consumers

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Making Sure It Is Private

• Establish and review privacy policies
• Communicate those policies to all employees
• Reinforce the policies by using stories

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Establish and Review Privacy Policies

• Reviewing policieswhat to look for
• Review your state and federal laws for
  regulations that affect your policies
• Review your organizations privacy policies.
  Are they adequate? Do they need clarification?

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Communication with Employees

• Find ways to communicate the importance of
  privacy policies on a regular basis.
• Look for opportunities to use real life
  situations to explain privacy concepts.

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Making Sure Health Information Is Accessible

• To authorized users
• Policies are in place to assist with emergency
  disclosures
• Staff understands what the Privacy Rule and
  state law do allow

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Information Is Accessible to Authorized Users

• What is an authorized use?
• When requested by the individual,
• For treatment of the individual,
• For billing and payment purposes, and
• Certain healthcare operations

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Policies for Emergencies
How should we provide information in case of
emergency? In case of disaster? Organization
policies include what to do when a patient is not
able to consent.
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Allowable Uses of Information
(Actual) Confusing Situations Physician sends
patient to independent radiology company for
scan. Does the Radiology company need patient
consent to send results to physician? Out of Town
Emergency Department calls with request for
information on an unconscious patient. Is it
allowable to give them the information?
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Making Sure Health InformationIs Secure

• Paper World
• Locks on doors
• Locks on file cabinets
• Storage in non-public areas
• Restricted access to areas

• Electronic World
• Encryption
• Workstation security
• Audit controls
• Access control
• User ID and Passwords
• Auto log-off
• Restricted terminals

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Educating Healthcare Consumers

• Consumers should know their rights
• Consumers should exercise their rights
• Consumers should establish a Personal Health
  Record

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Health Consumer Rights

• Notice of privacy practices
• Request privacy protection
• Inspect and have a copy of their medical record
• Amendment of health information
• Accounting of disclosures

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The Personal Health Record

• New on the horizonPHRs
• Individuals can
• Manage their own care
• Understand their condition
• Monitor the accuracy of their records
• Reduce medical errors
• Help save money
• www.MyPHR.com

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Your HIM Professionals Are a valuable resource!

• Working together we can keep health information
  private and reliable.

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Resources

• HIPAA Privacy Security Rules, found at
  www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/
• www.MyPHR.com
• HIPAA FAQs found at www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/