TIP: KEEP THE FAMILY SECRET.
During one of our staff trainings on the HIPPA regulations, a very vocal employee had her own opinion on Protected Health Information (PHI) and how to keep it safe. I vividly remember her saying:
It’s like keeping family secrets… there is always an aunt who unfortunately has a disease that only close relatives know about. You don’t talk about it during family gatherings, you don’t discuss it with each other, you are there, in silence, ready to help.
It is true. Patients become our family. Their medical condition affects us. All we can do is offer our expertise, our love, and protect their privacy. Respecting the patient’s health information is treating your patient like a loved one.
It is imperative to make sure your staff know everything about the HIPAA rule. Being prepared for when there is a data breach can save your practice from unimaginable penalties.
Risk Management tools should be in place to deal with a precarious situation in which PHI information has been handled inappropriately, knowing what actions to take next.
Learn more about HIPAA. Click links below.
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