2. HIPAA
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – first
originated in 1996 and was fully implemented in 2003 (Morris,
2013).
Recently, the Omnibus Final Rule regarding the privacy, security,
and enforcement of patient privacy was added (Morris, 2013).
The most common type of violation involves healthcare providers
inappropriately accessing medical records of celebrities, co-
workers, friends, or family (Morris, 2013).
Do not let your curiosity or concern get the best of you!
Consequences of doing so can lead to TERMINATION!
Please be diligent and conscientious of your work.
Reference: Morris, K. (2013). SING A SONG OF HIPAA. Ohio Nurses Review, 88(2), 12-14.
3. Examples
Negligent Violations
Improper disposal of PHI. Shred
Everything!
Leaving protected information on
voicemails. Always request that the patient
to call back!
Not protecting usernames and passwords.
Only YOU should have access.
Not logging out of the computer and
leaving PHI open. Always lock the
computer.
Social Media/Personal Cell Phones. Do not
post, text, tweet, or blog anything
regarding PHI.
Willful Violations
Reviewing PHI of patients other than you own.
“If it’s not yours, don’t touch it.”
Offering usernames and passwords to others.
Only YOU should be using those.
Providing PHI to those not directly associated
with the patient. If it does not have to do with
the care/safety of the patient, it does not need to
be talked about.
Selling PHI. It is protected and punishable by
law.
Using PHI against others. Again, it’s protected
information and punishable by law.
Reference: Morris, K. (2013). SING A SONG OF HIPAA. Ohio Nurses Review, 88(2), 12-14.
4. “We’ve got our eye on YOU!”
Because HIPPA Compliance has been an issue in the past,
please be mindful of the do’s and do not's.
If you question it, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.
Every individual is responsible for their own actions.
As a department, let’s work together to be HIPAA
compliant at all times.
If you see someone violating HIPAA, document it and
contact your manager or the HIM Director.
5. Updates
The internet usage and email policies have been updated.
Please take this time to review the policies and contact your
manager should you have any questions regarding the updates.
As always, any physical piece of paper with any patient
information on it should be kept private and shredded when
finished.
Please, please, please be sure to lock/log out of the
computer at ANYTIME when you walk away from
the computer.
