HIPAA & PHI TRAINING & AWARENESS Introduction to HIPAA PHI Identifiers and Awareness Security Measures Privacy Breaches Policies & Procedures
What is HIPAA? The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that specifies administrative simplification provisions that: Protect the privacy of patient information Provide for electronic and physical security of patient health information Require “minimum necessary” use and disclosure Specify patient rights to approve the access and use of their medical information
Protected Health Information (PHI) PHI is any information about health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to a specific individual
Protected Health Information (PHI) 18 Identifiers Name Account numbers Postal address License numbers All elements of dates except year Health plan beneficiary number Telephone number Medical record number Fax number Device identifiers and their serial numbers Email address Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers URL address Biometric identifiers IP address Full face photos and other comparable images Social security number Any other unique identifying number, code, or characteristic
When should you use PHI? Only when necessary to perform your job duties Use only the minimum necessary to perform your job duties
How do I secure PHI? Use electronic data only in a firewall environment (cloud) Do not download to a non-protected environment: Laptop Flashdrive Do not verbally release PHI outside the office Do not leave PHI on answering machines Ensure all paper, cds, and records are locked up or destroyed
Privacy Breaches Talking in public areas too loudly or to the wrong person Lost/stolen or improperly disposed of paper, mail, films, notebooks Lost/stolen laptops, PDAs, cell phones, media devices (video/audio recordings) Lost/stolen zip disks, CDs, flash drives Hacking or unprotected computer systems Email/faxes sent to the wrong address, wrong person, or wrong number User not logging off of their computer system allowing others to access
Notice of Privacy Practices (NOPP) The Notice of Privacy Practices allows PHI to be used and disclosed for purposes of TPO: Treatment Payment Operations TPO includes teaching, medical staff/peer review, legal, auditing, customer service, business management, and releases mandated by law
Remember All patient information is private Personal information Financial information Medical information Protected Health Information Information in any format: Spoken Written Electronic