Global Health, Fitness and Medical Issues

Similar to other healthcare or medical facilities, the majority of dental offices are run digitally these days. While technology makes the entire process for patients and staff easier, advanced tech also creates a more complex legal situation.

 

Dental providers run a heightened risk of potentially violating HIPAA rules. HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

 

HIPAA is legislation that ensures both the privacy and security of a patient’s personal and protected health information. Complying with HIPAA means safeguarding patient’s information and reducing the overall chance of a data breach in your system. As security is a top priority within a facility, here is a HIPAA compliance checklist for dental providers to follow.

Know and Observe the HIPAA Security Rule

There are three parts to the HIPAA security rule, which includes three different aspects of security requirements. These requirements are technical requirements, physical requirements, and administrative requirements.

 

Technical requirements for security include the technicality of communication—how information is transmitted and communicated electronically. There should be a controlled system with standard transmittance processes set in place in order to protect patients’ information.

 

The physical requirements under the security rule rely on the computer systems in place at a dental facility. These computer systems and their surrounding environment should be inaccessible to those who are not responsible for information imputation, meaning there should be procedures set in place to validate a person’s physical access to private information. Administrative requirements under the security rule ties into this procedure.

 

Administrators are appointed to select a communications system that is compliant with HIPAA and are responsible as well to develop policies and protocols for compliance.

Be Secure Against Cybersecurity Threats

As mentioned above, healthcare and dental facilities have gone digital with recordkeeping and patient files. At the top of this HIPAA compliance checklist for dental providers lies an important task—knowing how to act under the HIPAA security rule.

 

To best way to protect patient’s private information is to have a system of secure messaging as well as data encryption. Encryption of patient data is a requirement to appropriately protect sensitive information like SSNs, birthdates, addresses, or phone numbers. It’s also best to use passwords on computers in the office, and have secured and not open or public Wi-Fi network.

Ensure Proper Staff Education and Training

Having clear compliance protocols set in place is the very best way to protect patient information. Examples of such protocols would be not public broadcasting private information in the office and safely and quietly inputting private information in the computer.

 

Employee error is a major cause of data breaches, so train staff under HIPAA’s privacy, security, and breach notification rules.

As the spread of the coronavirus seems to be slowing, many people are preparing to get back to life as usual.

 

Consumers are anxiously awaiting the reopening of the country, with some states further along than others. The goal is to safely reopen retail stores, restaurants, and theme parks.

 

This has led some of these establishments to require proof of negative COVID-19 test results, causing many consumers to cry HIPAA violation. Is this a HIPAA violation? HIPAA and coronavirus privacy is discussed below.

HIPAA and Coronavirus Privacy

The coronavirus pandemic has caused many businesses to reevaluate how well they are protecting consumers.

 

Many businesses have increased cleaning protocols to prevent the spread of the virus, as well as implemented new standards for consumers entering the establishments.

 

Several businesses are requiring employees and consumers to wear masks, are conducting temperature checks on anyone entering the business, and requiring proof of negative COVID-19 test results. These new requirements have many consumers concerned that their privacy rights under HIPAA are being violated.

 

HIPAA established industry standards for the privacy of protected health information (PHI). Under HIPAA, coronavirus test results are considered PHI. As PHI, covered entities and business associates cannot disclose a patient’s coronavirus test results outside of treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. 

 

But what about during a global pandemic? These entities are permitted to disclose coronavirus test results to public health authorities for the purpose of public safety.

 

This is to notify people who may have come into contact with a coronavirus positive patient. However, disclosed information must only be the minimum necessary information to accomplish the purpose of the disclosure.

Can Consumer Businesses Ask Patrons for Test Results?

Consumer businesses such as retail stores, restaurants, and theme parks are neither covered entities nor business associates. Since they are neither covered entities or business associates, these establishments do not fall under the jurisdiction of HIPAA law.

 

As such, they can ask patrons for proof of negative COVID-19 test results, without fear of violating HIPAA, before they are permitted entry to these establishments.