Patients usually disclose a lot of sensitive information to physicians and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ensures that the information that is disclosed is protected and safeguarded and is not misused. Physicians would need to follow both the privacy and security rules that have been stipulated by HIPAA.

Top 7 HIPAA Checklists And Safeguards For Physicians

1. All information that is provided to the physician by the patient and stored electronically or on paper should be stored and safeguarded in the best possible way. The information could be related to the patients past medical history and even if this needs to be kept safe.

2. The health information that is provided by the patient includes name, social security number, address and date of birth. Apart from this, it will also contain information pertaining to past and current medical conditions of the patient and the treatment taken. Medical insurance details of the patient would also be provided.

3. The identity of the patients and any information pertaining to their treatment should not be disclosed by the physicians except for treatment purposes. The doctors would require proper authorization to access and share information of patients if it is not used for treatment. The authorizations that are provided by the patient can be for specific purposes only and it would end after the purpose is fulfilled.

4. If an individual requires any information pertaining to his/her medical condition, it must be provided by the doctor. However if the information that has been provided by the patient is false then the physician can refuse to share this information.

5. Access to the protected information should be limited. Only individuals who are trained in the various rules and regulations of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act should be able to access the information.

6. All employees who would be accessing the protected information of patients would need to be trained and physicians must ensure that there are aware of the updated provisions of HIPAA so that there is no violation.

7. Physical, electronic and other reasonable safeguards must be used to store and protect the confidential information of patients in the best possible way. If the information is transmitted electronically the networks must be password protected so as to ensure that it is safe.

There are instances where the physician can provide the confidential information of patients without authorization and this includes giving access to law enforcement agencies to solve a crime. Physicians should not access any information pertaining to the patients for commercial purposes. If they are found guilty of unauthorized access there can be civil and criminal penalties imposed on them.

Disposal of medical records should also be done in accordance with the guidelines specified by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The papers should be shredded in a proper way so that no one is able to gain access to them. All procedures related to privacy and security rules would need to be followed by physicians and their staff. This will help them avoid non compliance and penalties.

For more information, please visit our HIPAA Privacy Rule website.

For more information, please visit our HIPAA Privacy Rule website http://www.hipaaprivacyrule.com

Author Bio: For more information, please visit our HIPAA Privacy Rule website.

Category: Medical Business
Keywords: health care organizations ,HIPAA,Health Insurance ,HIPAA Compliant,HIPAA Penalties ,HIPAA act