As the security officer for Dr. Hoffman and his colleagues, the first order of business is an assessment of current practices and a roster of all staff employed at the practice. I will need to know what level of access to patient information is currently granted to each staff. I would follow as mentioned by Rinehart-Thompson “Isolate Healthcare Clearinghouse Functions” this is to protect information pertaining to the practice is not commingled with any other affiliate. I would also include my list of tasks for the assessment which include the following:
1. Staff information, such as:
a. Name
b. Role in the practice
c. Level of access to patient information
d. Clinical verses non clinical staff
e. If there is an EHR or other system their access and role within the system
f.
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Current status of HIPAA and PHI compliance/Training
2. What compliance tools are available at the practice to train and track employee training, such a Learning Management System tool (LMS) a. If there is a tool what version of this tool is in place and is it current on HIPAA standards
b. If the system is current and compliant, then I need to review all staff status, records and have refresher training as applicable
c. In the event there is no system in place I would implement a Learning Management System tool (LMS) for HIPAA and ePHI training and compliance.
d. If there is an LMS in place, I would review its current version and ensure it is up to date. I would also confirm the LMS content is to standards with the required materials related to HIPAA privacy and security rules.
e. Training and testing sessions would be mandatory for all staff. Including Dr. Hoffman. I would want him to lead as example.
3. The second implementation I would include a clearance process and access control. These would be a part of the Policy and Procedures for the practice.
For clearance, access and
The new user policy section has been modified to require manager approval and validation of the user’s access request based upon the user’s role. Previously the policy only required manager approval for user’s requiring administrator privileges. In accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards on access controls, users will have the minimum access required to perform the functions of their job in order to protect against unnecessary access to electronic protected health information (ePHI).
This unit will be responsible for researching and recommending a comprehensive compensation and benefit system. It will also handle payroll, payroll tax administration and benefit administration. It will be responsible for benefit education and
I need to ensure I provide and arrange adequate training for my staff on a regular basis and ensure they are aware of any new legislations.
when working in the front office of a medical office there are multiple things to put in consideration to avoid violating HIPAA.
Discuss what types of security measures are most important to ensure the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) regulations are met.
Under the HIPAA compliance audit program if a healthcare organization has attested and is later audited and found not to be compliant with HIPAA, the organization could face penalties including giving back the meaningful use incentive money. (Goedert, 2013) provided the following ways to ensure compliance: conduct mock audits, make sure all data within the organization is encrypted, computer access is logged, network security gaps have been filled, policies and regulations have been updated and expanded, and most importantly that all staff complete annual HIPAA training courses with emphasis on privacy and security.
There would be multilevel of HIPAA training with presentations, online training material, and a frequently asked questions page. The live presentation will be mandatory for all current medical staff and new hires. The online training would be a refresher course given out every year, with a quiz at the end. A frequently asked question page would be available all year long on the intranet and updated as needed.
Medical records and medical correspondence are increasingly going digital. This has different risks than traditional paper records. Starting with HIPAA compliant software helps keep digital records safe. The IT end of things is a critical piece of the puzzle and one that can be a burden for small offices
Research five healthcare provider websites and see if the site mentions HIPAA, HITECH, or The Joint Commission.
Any patient that is seen by a physician within the United States is to be protected by the “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” or HIPAA, which was passed into law in 1996 (Jani, 2009). All health care facilities dealing with any protected health information (PHI) are to ensure that all physical/electronic processes are safeguarded from any third party entity or unauthorized personnel according to HIPAA. All health care data to include any medical insurance
Develop a training plan for new HIM employees that will ensure that they understand the HIPAA regulations and what their role is in maintaining them.
Several years ago, a mandate was ordered requiring all healthcare facilities to progress from paper charting and record keeping to electronic health record (EHR). This transition to electronic formatting has pros and cons associated with it. I will be describing the EHR mandate, including who initiated it, when it was initiated, the goals of the EHR, and how the Affordable Care Act and the Obama administration are tied into it. Then I will show evidence of research and discuss the six steps of this process as well as my facilities progress with EHR. Then I will describe meaningful use and how my facility attained it. Finally, I will define HIPAA law, the possible threats to patient confidentiality relating to EHR, and how what my facility
Use of an EHR presents major opportunities for the compromise of patient’s personal health information (PHI). The facility must ensure proper safe guards are implemented and functioning properly at all times. Employees need to be educated on the safety measures to prevent breach of patient confidential health records. Privacy breaches can result from misuse or improper storage of PHI by the healthcare professional, by third party payers, or by lack of proper encryption in the EHR system itself (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014). The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a law that holds healthcare facilities and professionals accountable for keeping PHI confidential, patients to control
An important part of HIPAA is the minimum use standard, which mandates that healthcare providers use and disclose patient information in ways that are minimally necessary to accomplish the task. For example, a billing clerk does not need access to a patient?s entire medical history to bill for a service rendered, says Hole-Curry. Therefore, you may want to divide patient files into sections, having an office policy that clearly states who may access each section. Consider converting to pocket-style classification folders,
There are a multitude of patient privacy (HIPAA) and patient information concerns related to the use of technology in medical care. Selection of the proper hardware, operating systems and system software make the compliance with and documentation in support of these regulations far easier.