Home Health Staff (S) - hcmarketplace.com

1 HIPAA TrainingHandbook for the home Health Staff An Introduction to Confidentialityand Privacy Under HIPAAThis book belongs to:If you find it, please call:HIPAA Training handbook for the home Health Staff : An Introduction toConfidentiality and Privacy Under HIPAAis published by OpusCommunications, Inc., a subsidiary of HCPro 2002 Opus Communications, Inc., a subsidiary of HCPro rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN 1-57839-200-4No part of this publication may be reproduced, in any form or by any means,without prior written consent of Opus Communications or the CopyrightClearance Center (978/750-8400).

2 Please notify us immediately if you havereceived an unauthorized Communications provides information resources for the healthcareindustry. Neither HCPro Corp. nor Opus Communications, Inc., is affiliated in any waywith the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations,which owns the JCAHO trademark. Lauren McLeod, Senior Managing EditorShane Katz, Art DirectorJean St. Pierre, Creative DirectorMike Mirabello, Senior Graphic ArtistKathryn Levesque, Director of Online EducationPaul Nash, Group PublisherSuzanne Perney, PublisherAdvice given is general.

3 Readers should consult professional counsel for specific legal, ethical, or clinical questions. Arrangements can be made forquantity more information, contact:Opus Box 1168 Marblehead, MA 01945 Telephone: 800/650-6787 or 781/639-1872 Fax: 781/639-2982E-mail: Opus Communications at its World Wide Web sites: , , , 08/2002 2002 Opus Communications, a division of HCPro. Unauthorized duplication is the Expert .. ivWhy is confidentiality important? ..2 What is HIPAA? ..3 What are the consequences for breaking the rules?

4 4Do I need to know? ..5 Who is authorized to see information? ..6 What if I overhear private information? ..7 How can I protect patient confidentiality? ..8 Case #1 ..9 Case #2 ..10 Case #3 ..11 How can I help patients understand their rights? ..12 Can the agency use patient information for other reasons? ..13 How does this agency protect privacy? ..14 Case #4 ..15 Case #5 ..15 Can I use e-mail on the job? ..16 How can I protect information on my computer? ..17 What if I see someone break the rules? ..18 Case #6.

5 19 Case #7 ..19 Case #8 ..20 Helpful hints for working with computers ..21 Exceptions to the rules ..22 Six reasons to release confidential information without authorization ..23 Final exam ..24 Answers to the final exam ..26 Contents 2002 Opus Communications, a division of HCPro. Unauthorized duplication is the ExpertPrinny Rose Abraham, RHIT, CPHQP rinny Rose Abraham, RHIT, CPHQ, is president of hiqm-Consulting in Minneapolis. She has planned and organizedmedical records and quality management systems for multi-ple and single-site home care and hospice agencies since1988.

6 She is an expert on medical privacy issues, Health caredatabase systems, and the relationship of financial informa-tion to clinical data. She has experience managing computerconversions and teaching clinical Staff to use point-of-caresoftware. Abraham teaches home care clinicians around the country touse the ICD-9-CM classification system. She has writtenextensively on a wide range of home care topics and is theauthor of Documentation and Reimbursement for HomeCare and hospice Programs(AHIMA, 2001). 2002 Opus Communications, a division of HCPro.

7 Unauthorized duplication is TrainingHandbook for the home Health Staff An Introduction to Confidentiality and Privacy Under HIPAA1 Intended audience: Nurses home Health aides Therapists Agency clerical and billing Staff Management and human resources employees VolunteersThis booklet, intended for general work force orientation andtraining, will acquaint employees in your home Health agencywith the requirements for privacy and confidentiality underHIPAA as well as the potential consequences of not comply-ing. Case scenarios illustrate situations in which privacy andconfidentiality may be is confidentiality important?

8 As part of our promise to give patients the highest qualityhealth care, we keep information about their Health confiden-tial, sharing it only with people who need the information todo their now, this promise was simply part of our code of under a new federal law slated to go into effect in April2003, it will be illegal to violate this code. This law, the Health Insurance Portability and AccountabilityAct of 1996, or HIPAA for short, includes punishments foranyone caught violating patient privacy. Those who compromise confidentialityintentionally for financial gain canbe fined as much as $250,000or go to jail for up to 10years!

9 Even acci-dentally breakingthe rules canresult in fines and tremendousembarrassment foryou or your 2002 Opus Communications, a division of HCPro. Unauthorized duplication is Training handbook for the home Health StaffWhat is HIPAA?HIPAA is a broad law that covers a variety of issues. One ofits goals is to enable people to move easily from one healthinsurance plan to another as they change jobs or becomeunemployed and allow providers treating patients to shareinformation more law requires all Health care organizations and payers touse standard formats for common transactions such as sub-mitting a claim on a patient s behalf.

10 Today, with e-mail, Internet access, and electronic records, itsmuch easier for providers to share records, but it also mucheasier for people to misuse the information they contain. That s why HIPAA includes sections with requirements for protecting patient privacy and ensuring security of HIPAA, it is illegal to releasehealth information without permission,or fail to adequately protect it from unau-thorized 2002 Opus Communications, a division of HCPro. Unauthorized duplication is Introduction to Confidentiality and Privacy Under HIPAA4 2002 Opus Communications, a division of HCPro.