Most Common Health Care HIPAA Violations

HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This public US law was enacted to protect patients’ private medical information and records, also known as protected health information or PHI. This act introduced a set of standards and regulations that health care organizations must follow to establish safeguards for full provider-patient confidentiality in order to protect privacy.

Unfortunately, violations of these rules can occur. Hence, medical businesses and practices should understand why they must do their best to prevent such HIPAA violations and be aware of all the possible threats these violations pose. Here are the most common health care HIPAA violations to be aware of.

A Case of Snooping and Discussing Health Records

Interestingly, one of the most common health care HIPAA violations is inappropriate snooping and disclosure. Peeping a glance at the health care records of family members, friends, acquaintances, strangers, and even celebrities is a clear violation of HIPAA laws. Privileged information is to be kept only to the appropriate authorized people and not spread around as a scandal or rumor.

For employees, conversations about PHI and specific patients’ information should be kept behind closed doors. This information should be discussed solely with professional staff or with the patients themselves. Gossip and chit-chat are not only out-of-line activities but also actions that can result in a hefty fine.

A Lack of Adequate Employee Training

Compliance training is at the root of HIPAA compliance. Lack of employees’ due diligence isn’t the only cause of violations; common violations can also occur without the proper training of staff from upper management. These violations can include accidentally removing PHI from a practice or facility, leaving computers or PHI paperwork unattended, sending unsecured e-mails containing PHI to personal accounts, or releasing private information to an unauthorized individual. Health care staff must be knowledgeable about the correct methods or procedures that a medical practice must adhere to and abide by to protect their patients’ information.

A Data Breach or Digital Information Hack

In our digital era, all kinds of businesses and organizations have grown increasingly vulnerable to the illegal hacking of information. Medical practices and facilities must take the possibility of database breaches seriously to protect the PHI they store. Data should be both encrypted and password protected to prevent extensive breaches that can damage their business and reputation.

Proper implementation of HIPAA regulations and practices can prevent many of these common violations. For medical providers that must uphold compliance, here’s a general HIPAA compliance checklist to follow to protect PHI, from inception to disposal. For all health care professionals and employees, the privacy and security of PHI should be a continual priority. HIPAA compliance is achievable with the right mind set, practice, and education.