Teresa Garber, PHI coordinator at Augusta Health in Virginia, hands out this tip sheet when she meets with departments, one at a time, to talk about HIPAA. Garber does a presentation on protected health information and other aspects of privacy and security, the gift policy, conflicts of interest and diversity, and she has a question-and-answer session with the employees. Contact Garber at tgarber@augustahealth.com.
REMEMBER!
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The 18 identifiers that make health information PHI are: Names Dates, except year Telephone numbers Geographic data Fax numbers Social Security numbers Email addresses Medical record numbers Account numbers Health plan beneficiary numbers Certificate/license numbers Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers, including license plates Web URLs Device identifiers and serial numbers Internet protocol addresses Full face photos and comparable images Biometric identifiers (e.g., retinal scan, fingerprints) Any unique number or code |
DO NOT SEND email containing PHI to a non-Augusta Health email address. DO NOT TEXT any type of PHI (any of the 18 identifiers). Securely store laptops when unattended. Log off or badge out of computers when walking away. Keep your password confidential. DO NOT discuss patients in the elevator, hallway, cafeteria, etc., where someone could overhear PHI. DO NOT access any medical record without a referral/question/business/clinical need. Curb curiosity! No proactive monitoring. Faxing: Double check fax numbers and use a cover sheet. Before handing a patient medical record documents, make sure that the name on the documents are for the patient you are handing them to. Initial or HIGHLIGHT the patient name and birthdate as verification prior to disclosing to the patient. Refrain from taking pictures in patient care areas with your personal cell phone. DO NOT POST information via social networking (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.) that involves patient information you know from being a team member at Augusta Health. It’s inappropriate to post information about your work at Augusta Health. If you SEE something, SAY something! |