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Employees should never share private patient info via any communication means:  verbal, written or online. If you hear a physician or nurse talking about the patients: Do not talk about it with your co-workers, family members or others. If you hear anyone talking about the patients, t…

Remember to follow these rules every day: Healthcare information in the medical record belongs to the patient. TPO Exception: Authorization should be sought in writing to release or PHI. Exceptions apply for Treatment, Payment and Healthcare Operation. Minimum Necessary Rule: PHI that i…

Enjoy stories of Methodist's outstanding care and medical innovation in The Meaning of Care Magazine.  The Spring 2020 issue captures shining examples of the countless ways Methodist Health System caregivers and staff show up for patients in their greatest times of need. With extra r…

To assist with ongoing efforts to ensure privacy of patient records, we are implementing the FairWarning® Patient Privacy Monitoring Program. What You Should Know & Do FairWarning® uses automated monitoring to detect inappropriate access of patient records and to rapidly investigate suspecte…

The Methodist Health System Compliance and Privacy Team oversees patient privacy, and it’s something we take very seriously. To help us monitor suspicious or inappropriate access to patient records, we have had software in place for several years. The system has been adequate, and investigations of…

Know and Follow Methodist Policy Methodist policy allows employees to access their own computerized medical records or those of their dependent minor children via Cerner -- with the following exceptions: Access to an employee’s own behavioral health record or sexual health records or those of an…

Lincare, a provider of services to in-home patients, was recently court-ordered to pay $239,800 to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). Lincare’s problems began when an employee left behind documents containing protected health information (PHI) of 278 patients after moving offices. The employee remov…

In 2012, an employee with the UCLA School of Medicine was sentenced to four months in prison after being found guilty of accessing and reading confidential medical records of his colleagues and other patients — with no legitimate reason, medical or otherwise. He claimed “not to know” that unau…

What complaints have been received about the way patient information is discussed? Before speaking, imagine that you are the patient and this is your information that is being discussed -- then adjust your volume, tone and speech accordingly. Specific complaints made against our organization includ…

One of the top areas of concern for HIPAA officials is the use – and misuse – of social networking sites by healthcare employees.  Below are situations where social networking has collided with HIPAA rules and regulations: An ED physician in Rhode Island was fired, lost her hospital medical…