1. Patient Confidentiality Training
William F. Schuch
MHA690: Healthcare Capstone
Dr. David Cole
July 24, 2014

2. Understanding Patient Confidentiality
• HIPAA, what is it?
• Who should attend HIPAA training?
• How often should training be completed?
• When to report violations
• How to prevent patient information breach
• How does patient information breach affect the
patient?
• What are the ramifications of patient privacy
breach?

3. HIPAA
• In 1996 HHS established the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability act
• The act is used to protect the privacy of patient information
• It also allows health information needed to provide and promote
quality care and public health knowledge (hhs.gov, n.d.)
• Purpose of the privacy rule
– Define and limit when patient data can be shared
• If the privacy rule permits or requires (hhs.gov, n.d.)
• Consent by the patient or caregiver (hhs.gov, n.d.)
• Required disclosures
– To the patient when they request access
– To the department of HHS when investigating claim
• Under no other circumstances is patient information to be shared for
any reason unless specified by HIPAA laws

4. Who is required to understand HIPAA
laws?
• Covered entities
– Providers
• Doctors
• Clinics
• Mental health physicians
• Dentists
• Chiropractors
• Nursing Homes
• Pharmacies
– Health Plan
• Insurance companies
• HMOs
• Company Health plans
• Government
• HCOs
– Administrators
– nursing
– Physicians
– Support services
– Any staff member
associated with the
facility
– All healthcare staff

5. Frequency of HIPAA training
• All staff members will receive an initial class on
HIPAA rules and regulations upon employment
• Annual training is required for all staff members
– Study guide
– Video presentation
– Quiz
• Each training session will be required to complete
on their anniversary date

6. Reporting Violations
• If data is breached
– Electronically
– Word of mouth
• If violations are see or heard contact supervisor
• As a part of the Department of Health and Human
Services the Office of Civil Rights can be reached
to report a violation

7. How to prevent patient information
breach
• Ensure password security
• Log on and off CPU when beginning and ending
usage
• Don’t leave patient information out on counters or
desks
• Annual HIPAA training
• Don’t talk about patient information

8. How does information breach affect
patients?
• Discrimination
• Stigmatization
• Being shunned from family and friends
• Effect social life
• Workplace complications

9. Penalties
• According to the Department of Health and Human Services penalties include
– Termination of employment
– Monetary penalties
• $100- $50,000 and up
• Up to $1,500,000 annually
– Criminal penalties
• Knowingly committing penalty I
• $50,000 1 year in jail
• False pretenses
– increase to $100,000
– 5 years in jail
• Intent to sell patient information faces
– $250,000
– 10 years in jail
– (hhs.gov, n.d.)

10. Conclusion
• Understand HIPAA
• Understand that all personnel are required to
adhere to polices
• Enforce annual training
• Report violation
• Prevent breach of information
• Think about how your actions effect the patient
• Understand penalties

11. References
• Fox News. (2008). Report: Over 120 UCLA hospital staff saw
celebrity health records. Retrieved
from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,398784,00.html
• Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. (n.d.). Summary of the
HIPAA Privacy Rule. Retrieved July 25, 2014, from
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/summary/
index.html