HIPAA

HIPAAHealth Insurance Portabilityand Accountability Act of 1996

What is HIPAA?The Health Insurance Portability andAccountability Act. This law is the firstcomprehensive Federal protection for theprivacy of personal health information,passed by Congress in 1996, andimplemented in April 2003. HIPAA compliance is mandatory

What is the purpose of HIPAA? HIPAA is a federal law enacted to: Protectthe privacy of a patient’s personal andhealth information Provide for electronic and physical security ofpersonal and health information Standardize coding to simplify billing andother transactions

Why do we need to know aboutHIPAA? If you see, use or share a person’s protectedhealth information or work directly with patients itis your responsibility to protect the privacy of thepatient.As a Nursing Student at the University of St.Francis, you are expected to know, understandand comply with this federal regulation in allclinical settings.

Who must comply with HIPAA? HIPAA includes all entities that provide, billor pay for medical care or process medicalinformation. These include the following: Healthcare providers Health Plans Clearinghouses Business associates

What Health Information isCovered? Individually Identifiable Health Information whichincludes:Any information that is: SpokenWrittenElectronicRelated to: Treatment of physical or mental health conditionsPayment of healthcareHealthcare operations

What is Protected HealthInformation (PHI)? Information that can be used directly or indirectly to identify anindividualIncludes Individually Identifiable Health Information (IIHI) such as: NameAddressBirthdatesSocial security numberE-mail addressesAccount or Medical record numbersPhotographic imagesMedical Record NumbersCertification/License numbersPhone or Fax numbersAny “other” identifying number, characteristic or code

Notice of Privacy PracticeWritten information related to the privacypractices must be given to each patient. Information must include the coveredentities’ responsibilities and legalobligations as well as the patient’s rightsas they pertain to their PHI

How does this benefit patients? The goal is to assure individuals that theirhealth information is being protected. Itallows us to share pertinent healthinformation while protecting our patient’sprivacy.

Health Care ProviderResponsibilities Secure patient records Take steps to limit use and disclosure ofPHI Obtain authorization from a patient for useof PHI

What is Incidental Disclosure: It is a disclosure that cannot be reasonablyprevented, is limited in nature and occurs as aresult of otherwise permitted use or disclosure. Exampleof permissible incidental disclosure : Abedside conversation overheard by the patient in thenext bed. Example of a NOT permissible incidental disclosure:Casual conversations about patients in the cafeteria,elevator, parking lot or classroom.

Disclosure of Protected HealthInformation Information that is related to a patient’s healthcannot be used unless authorized by the patientor someone acting on the patient’s behalfAccess should be limited to persons needing theinformation for legitimate purposesInformation that is shared should be limited tothe minimum necessary, that is, the leastamount of information necessary to accomplishthe request

So what does this mean for me? All clinical institutions expect that students arefamiliar with HIPAA and the Privacy RuleYou are expected to follow these guidelineswhen accessing information and providing careto patients.You are held to the same standard as thelicensed RNInfractions will be handled with ZEROTOLERANCE as according to the policy.

For more information Review the United States Department ofhealth and Human Services OCRPRIVACY BRIEF on the web at:www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa

CONAH Policy on Disciplinary Action forViolations of HIPAA by StudentsAs a student in a health professions program of theUniversity of St. Francis, you are required abide by thehealth information privacy requirements of a federal lawcalled HIPAA.Students will be informed of the requirements of HIPAAthrough required training when admitted to the nursingand allied health programs and throughout their clinicalcourses.Reminders of these requirements occur at the courselevel include a Statement on the Privacy of PatientInformation, developed in the college, which is printed ineach course syllabus.

Confirmation You must click on the following link in order toacknowledge that you understand what you /college/nursing/forms/hipaa

Violations of HIPAA by Students As a student in a health professions program of the University of St. Francis, you are required abide by the health information privacy requirements of a federal law called HIPAA. Students will be informed of the requirements of HIPAA through requir