Dateline DFCI
Dana-Farber gears up for heightened patient privacy
With federal rules on patient privacy set to take effect nationally in April, Dana-Farber — like other health-care facilities nationwide — has been revising many of its policies, procedures, and forms to comply with the mandates.
Known as HIPAA (because they are part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), these new regulations will give patients a better understanding of how and by whom their medical information is being used, as well as more control over its usage.
"Practically everyone at the Institute will be affected by these rules and their call for heightened awareness of patient privacy," says Jim Conway, senior vice president and chief operations officer.
The mandates aim to set higher standards for maintaining the confidentiality of "identifiable" medical information, such as a patient's name, address, and social security number. Only those who need to access the information will be authorized to do so.
The Institute has long had measures in place to protect patient privacy, such as guidelines for sharing computer passwords and handling confidential material, but the HIPAA rules strengthen and standardize protection for all patients.
Mandatory training sessions were held this winter and spring to give all Institute employees a basic overview of the regulations. "Staff have learned what HIPAA is, what rights patients have under the rules, and what to do in case of a privacy violation," remarks DFCI Training Manager Carol Miller. "The sessions have provoked some thoughtful discussions about the value of confidentiality."
