Complying with 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations is vital to keep your patients’ protected health information (PHI) private, confidential, and secure. What is HIPAA? It’s the safety standards for all entities handling sensitive electronic patient data. The guidelines apply to everyone in your hospital, medical, or dental practice who saves, accesses, and shares patients’ computerized health and financial records.
Proper precautions will help you gain the best patient rapport and standing. You’ll also avoid breach-related complaints, reputational damage, hefty monetary fines, civil lawsuits, criminal charges, medical license loss, and/or imprisonment. E-Complish excels at compliance with both Payment Card Industry (PCI) and HIPAA compliance protocols. With us you can be sure client payment info and PHI remains safeguarded, but follow the eight steps below to ensure that your medical or dental facility is compliant
Run Thorough Risk Assessments
Did your medical practice adopt an electronic health record (EHR) system before clear directions specified everything it should contain? Then your office might be using a system that fails to meet HIPAA standards. Using the latest guidelines, run a thorough risk assessment on your current system. That will highlight any noncompliant areas that you need to update to fulfill your obligations. In addition, you or a HIPAA specialist must complete mandatory security risk assessments annually. Then develop detailed action plans and timelines that address all evaluated issues requiring remediation or follow-ups.
Prepare for Disasters Before They Occur
Keeping all customer data that your medical or dental facility handles safe from corruption and loss is key. Installing antivirus programs on all business computers will protect them from viruses that could corrupt or destroy files. To prevent losses due to mishaps, backup all health records frequently. Using off-site locations will stop destructive events like office fires and floods from making valuable backups irretrievable.
Develop a Policy and Procedure Manual
Create written instructions that detail how your staff should address and maintain patient privacy, confidentiality, and security. Include a HIPAA compliance overview with specific processes for patient notifications, disclosures, and relevant forms. Distribute this manual to all existing employees and new hires. Requiring them to sign and return statements that they read and understand your policies and procedures can increase conformity. Review, update, and redistribute your handbook as regulations expand and change.
Establish an Ongoing Staff Training Program
Your weakest links determine your EHR’s strength. In medical and dental offices, untrained employees make the most errors unintentionally. Staffers who fail to follow safety protocols when accessing files and records can render even a very dependable encryption system useless. That might allow unauthorized parties to gain access illegally.
Guiding new hires is just the beginning. Re-educating your entire team to adhere to vital safeguards annually will ensure data security and integrity. Everyone must recognize that protecting health information is essential. Gather staffers’ signatures, acknowledging awareness of HIPAA principles and practices. Document all employees’ names with initial and refresher course dates to verify that you’re fulfilling your ongoing commitment. Also evaluate and revise your training program as regulations expand and change.
Add Compatible and Compliant Office Equipment
All new equipment you buy for your medical or dental facility must be compatible to work well with your existing system while providing sufficient security. Make sure that all purchases include both of these crucial elements because either one alone is an ineffective mistake.
Collaborate With All Affected Internal Parties
The changes you must make to become HIPAA compliant will affect various internal personnel. Inform all involved supervisors and departments about necessary modifications to their routines. Preventing violations requires everyone’s ongoing and diligent participation.
Demonstrate Privacy throughout Your Facility
Treat your patients with the discretion they deserve everywhere from your lobby to examination rooms. Minimize personal references to specific patients by announcing just their given or surnames when calling them to the reception desk, payment windows, and doctor consultations. Providing private, quiet spaces for discussions with individuals will stop uninvolved parties from overhearing sensitive information. Always knock on closed doors before entering patients’ rooms. Never leave their files and documents visible or unsecured where unauthorized people could view them.
Post HIPAA Notices
Print notices explaining your HIPAA practices. Place them in easily noticeable common office areas. Your patients can review applicable privacy laws with information about how you’re striving to protect their health care’s confidentiality.