Health Information Compliance Alert
GET PERMISSION BEFORE EMAILING IMMUNIZATION REMINDERS
Question: We like to send email reminders to employees who need to update their immunizations for MMR and Hepatitis, among others. Can we do this or do we need an authorization? Answer: If your employees must be properly immunized as condition of their employment, then sending them an email is okay, experts agree.
Montana Subscriber
However, because "email is inherently insecure...document that the employee was asked if email was a permitted method of communication," counsels attorney Marc Goldstone of Hoagland & Longo in New Brunswick, NJ.
If your email system is secure, your office is clear to send the reminders, says senior partner Kathy LePar of Beacon Partners in Norwell, MA. Remember: "Don't put them on your office bulletin board or in the employee lunch room where everyone can see," says Kirk Nahra, an attorney in the Washington, DC office of Wiley Rein & Fielding.
The bottom line: As always, keep in mind the vulnerabilities attached to any method of communication, but don't shrink away from email. Tip: Get your employees' written consent to communicate with them via email and you're safe, Goldstone assures.
Health Information Compliance Alert
- Compliance Tactics:
Nip Security Problems In The Bud With Walkthrough Inspections
Follow this advice to keep your compliance plan in shape.
Your security compliance program could be [...] - Security Tool:
Use This Checklist On Your Next Walkthrough
Are you overlooking these crucial security breaches?
Conduct a walkthrough to quickly and easily monitor your [...] - YOU BE THE SECURITY EXPERT:
HOW SHOULD WE ACCOUNT FOR WORKER'S COMP DISCLOSURES?
Read the situation below and decide how you would handle it before you compare it [...] - Security Strategies:
Don't Axe The Security Rule's Addressable Standards
Instead, whittle them down to fit your needs.
You can't ignore the security rule's addressable standards, [...] - Training Strategies:
Train Staff To Protect Email Without Encryption--Here's How
You can secure emailed data without breaking the bank.
Once you allow your staffers to send [...] - Privacy Strategies:
Use This Script If A Patient Asks About Disclosures
Know which standard disclosures you don't need to worry about.
If a staff member lacks basic [...] - READER QUESTIONS:
GET PERMISSION BEFORE EMAILING IMMUNIZATION REMINDERS
Question: We like to send email reminders to employees who need to update their immunizations [...] - READER QUESTIONS:
BEWARE FAXING ABSENTEE FORMS TO SCHOOLS
Question: Can we fax absentee notes and forms authorizing the administration of medications directly to [...] - READER QUESTIONS:
GIVE DEPARTMENTS THEIR OWN KEYS
Question: We want to use the same locks on all our facility's interior doors. The [...] - Training Tip:
Case Study--You Can't Skimp On Training For Temps
Here's how one compliance officer trains all her personnel to protect patients' PHI.
It's not easy [...] - INDUSTRY NEWS:
Big Grants Could Bring Insurers Health IT Initiatives To Fruition
Demonstration tech projects get hefty cash infusions.
The Bush Administration's push to advance health information technology [...]
