HIPAA do’s and don’ts for employees - WheelHouse IT 2890 West State Rd 84 Suite 108 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 (954) 474-2204

Do you know how to handle the provisions of HIPAA as an employee?

Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act was passed in the US in 1996 to safeguard the information of people who receive different medical insurance services from various authorities. As per the provisions made in the act, employees who work with such associations need to strictly follow the guidelines given by authorities. Hence if you are one of the employees in any such organization, you must know the HIPAA do’s and don’ts for employees. However, if you are not aware of the same here, we provide the guidelines for easy access.

The Dos: 
As an employee, you must practice the below points. 

•    Be honest on Job: You must understand that the information of people with your organization is sensitive and confidential. In any way, you must not share the same with any third party using any mode. You need to adhere to this rule strictly throughout your career else you can be in deep trouble. 

•    Know the authorities or ask your immediate authority: If you are asked to share any information of anyone from your system, you must refrain from doing so. In case you think it is required to be shared better, you ask your immediate authority before moving ahead. 

•    Report violation of the act Immediately: If you are in charge of any such information and found any breach or violation of HIPAA norms, you must bring the same to the notice of respective authorities. 

The Don’ts: 
As a part of such an organization, you must refrain from the below activities: 

•    Keep devices and documents under strict supervision: As an employee or in charge of such information, you may have easy access to the same, but you are not supposed to leave any device, documents or system unattended so that anyone else than you can have easy access to the same. 

•    Don't check the records of the patient unless you are required to: You may need to check the record of patients as and when the file comes to you. Other than that, you must avoid checking such data just out of curiosity, as each activity on your system is also monitored. 

•    Follow the provisions before disposing of data: You must follow the provisions of law when it comes to disposing data of any patient. There are certain permissions and approvals that you must get before disposing of data from the system, which you must not ignore. 

•    Unauthorized discussions: You must avoid using such data for any unauthorized discussions on any platform.