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Volunteers/Volunteer Orientation/HIPAA Regulations

HIPAA Regulations

HIPAA Regulations

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 outlines federal regulations governing the communication and disclosure of patient information. The Privacy Regulations impact the volunteer role by controlling who is allowed access to patient information and what information may be released.

Protected health information (PHI) is considered any piece of information that could identify a patient and/or their medical history. This includes but is not limited to names, addresses, treatments, record numbers and X-rays.

What can you do to protect patient information?

Take reasonable precautions to assure you are releasing PHI only to people who have a right to know, and that you give them only the information they need to know.

When working with patient information, whether on paper, computer or charts, protect it from the view of others.
Any document with patient information must be shredded or placed in a secure location when leaving your area; computers containing information should be shut down when not in use.
When talking with staff or fellow volunteers about patient information, keep conversations quiet and limit discussing patients to private areas only. Conversations regarding patient information should not occur in hallways, elevators or Café Josef.
Only request or access patient information on a need to know basis to perform the function of your volunteer duties.
If you see someone or the name of someone you know that is a patient, do not share that information with others.
No volunteer may give out the name of a patient, or share that a patient has expired, the sex of a newborn baby, the name of the patient’s procedure, the date a patient was discharged or admitted or where they were discharged or admitted to.
Do not question patients or staff about a patient’s illness.

What happens if I violate a Privacy Policy?

It may be a violation of federal law. The corrective action will vary depending on the level of the violation. Fines range from $100 to $25,000 and jail time can occur in extreme situations.

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David R. Blick, MD, FACC

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HIPAA Regulations

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