What does HIPAA stand for?
H – Health
I – Insurance
P – Portability
A – And Accountability
A – Act
What is HIPAA privacy rule?
Privacy requirements were implemented on April 14, 2003. Contractors and volunteers of state agencies that
receive, create, share or store protected health information are responsible for implementing and complying with
the HIPAA privacy rules. The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes minimum safeguards to protect confidentiality of
an individual’s health information.
The HIPAA Privacy Rule protects:
What is protected health information?
“Protected Health Information,” or PHI, is information that is:
Who is required to comply with HIPAA?
The HIPAA Privacy Rule affects covered entities that have health information about an individual.
Covered entities include the following:
Under what conditions must you protect any of the previously mentioned pieces of information?
Whenever:
Examples: fax, computer files, paper records.
Are there conditions that PHI may be released?
PHI may be disclosed to a government agency authorized by law to receive reports of:
For reports of domestic violence, and abuse or neglect of adults, inform the individual of the reports unless you believe informing the individual would place him or her at risk of serious harm.
Are there limitations for release of PHI?
The privacy rule requires you to limit uses, requests, and disclosures of PHI to the minimum necessary to accomplish the use or disclosure.
How to secure various types of PHI you encounter on a regular basis?
Apply reasonable safeguards when making these communications to protect the information from inappropriate use or disclosure.
PAPER: (i.e. meal delivery route sheet, letters to be delivered, surveys, etc.)
COMPUTERS: (i.e. communicating client information to MOWAM via individual email or MOWAM website email)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS: (i.e. communicating client information to MOWO by phone or fax) Devices such as cordless phones, mobile phones, faxes, intercoms
Why is this important to you as a volunteer?
You are responsible for securing PHI and keeping it private. If you don’t you may be liable!
ALWAYS REMEMBER…
All information regarding an individual’s health care is confidential. DO NOT share this information with your friends, family or neighbors. In other words, if you learned any client Protected Health Information through your volunteer assignment or other associations with Meals on Wheels and More, it is considered private.
You also must be careful about where, when, and with whom you share information required to perform your volunteer job. Share information only with persons who HAVE a legitimate need to know for treatment, payment or health care operations. Public locations such as hallways, break rooms, elevators, and parking lots, for example, are not appropriate places to share PHI.
And lastly, please sign and return all route sheets to the MOWO front desk.