How to Remind Yourself of HIPAA Rules

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is a serious aspect of modern health care and insurance. HIPAA established, among other things, privacy rights for patients and detailed guidelines about how they must be observed. Violations can create civil and regulatory penalties for health care facilities, providers and insurance companies.



Nurses, doctors, clinicians and patient care related personnel of all kinds must be constantly aware of the importance of observing HIPAA. In the day to day activities of a busy healthcare workplace, it can be easy to overlook some of the little, but important aspects of protecting patient privacy. Creating reminder systems is always a good idea.

Instructions

• 1

  Paste some of the most pertinent rules you most not forget to your clipboard of you carry one when seeing patients. Having a visual reminder inconspicuously located can be very helpful. Some of these may include not speaking too loudly with coworkers about a patient's case, not speaking to family members or friends about a patient without patient authorization, or covering over patient names and information on office sign-in sheets as soon as you have checked them in for their appointments.

• 2

  Change your computer screen saver to say the rules that you most frequently forget, if you have a computer or terminal you can alter.

• 3

  Post signs in your work areas reminding staff--and therefore yourself--to use hushed tones when discussing patients.

• 4

  Place signs or labels on notebooks and clipboards reminding you and others to always return files and patient sensitive materials to their rightful storage locations and not to leave them out in anyone's sight.

• 5

  Create a sheet with the HIPAA rules which are most pertinent to your work, and post them on break room and office bulletin boards, nursing stations or common work areas as well as your personal workspace if you have one.