Skip to contents
In This Issue:
Safeguarding a patient’s right to privacy is the ethical and legal obligation of every staff member and employee at BWH. Staff and employees must be responsible, prepared and aware of patient privacy while conducting their job functions. Logging onto a computer, sending e-mail and faxes and talking on the phone or in person with a colleague can negatively impact patient confidentiality.
Consider the following scenario:While you add an update to a patient’s medical record, a colleague asks for assistance at his workstation. You leave your desk unattended for just a few minutes. While you are away from your desk, a friend drops off a lecture schedule, a repair man checks the broken light fixture and several people causally pass by your computer screen. Your phone rings and another coworker does you a favor by answering the call. The medical information continues to be visible on the screen (while she writes down a message for you. In the ten minutes you were away from your computer, more than five people had access to private and protected information.
Here’s how you can ensure a patient’s right to privacy is protected at all times:
Protecting Privacy at Your Computer
Protecting Privacy while Sending or Receiving a Fax
The actions of the employee mentioned in the scenario, while unintentional, were in direct violation of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and subject to disciplinary action under the personnel policy on Corrective Action or Adverse Action section of the Medical Staff Bylaws. HIPAA requires all health care organizations to implement new security standards protecting the confidentiality, privacy and integrity of individually identifiable health information.
All BWH employees are responsible to uphold the tenets of patient privacy.For more information, questions or concerns about HIPAA and your role in patient privacy contact Jacqueline Raymond, privacy officer, at ext. 2-6068.