Assignment Task: Privacy and Security Training for New Staff Case
You have been given the responsibility of providing privacy training to new HIM staff when one is hired. The staff should receive privacy awareness training as part of the hospital's new employee orientation. This is the training information you were handed. Read this over and answer the three questions at the bottom in detail.
The current training plan for the HIM Department staff is as follows:
1. Timing of training:
- Training should be implemented within 3 working days of beginning work in the HIM department.
- Training should be completed within 30 days of the employee's first day in the HIM department.
2. Trainer: Assistant director of HIM or designee
3. Method: Computer-assisted training and traditional classroom time.
4. Handouts: None
5. Records: Signature of attendees
6. Retention of training records: Forever in employee file
7. Testing: None
8. Who should be included in training: All HIM staff
9. Content of training
- Requesters should provide photo identification and written authorization.
- Employees should not access charts that they do not have a business reason to access.
- Send transcribed reports only to the physician(s) listed on the report.
- There should be enough of an overview of functions of department so the employee knows to whom to refer people when questions or requests arise.
- Employees should log out of the computer when they leave.
- Passwords should not be shared.
- Physicians do not get access to PHI unless there is a treatment, payment, or healthcare operations (TPO) reason.
- Hospital and departmental privacy policies are maintained by the secretary and are maintained in each functional area of the department for easy access.
- Privacy problems in the department can be reported to your supervisor or the chief privacy officer.
- PHI should only be released by authorized staff.
Q1. Is the content appropriate for HIM department new employee training? Justify your response.
Q2. Is this plan compliant with privacy regulations?
Q3. How can this plan be improved?