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HIPAA training is here

by: LAWRENCE M. SHUER

By now most of you are aware of the federal government's medical-privacy law, known as HIPAA, which will take effect April 14. We have been hearing about this law for quite some time, but now it is no longer something coming up in the distant future. Stanford and Packard hospitals and the School of Medicine have been busy disseminating various educational materials and holding sessions to ensure that we as an institution are compliant with HIPAA.

In last month's issue of Medical Staff Update, associate chief of staff Joe Hopkins wrote an article discussing the various areas the law covers. HIPAA will touch many aspects of our work at the medical center, including how research is conducted; how we teach medical students, interns and residents; and how we communicate about and with patients and their families. It is imperative that all of us understand the law's intent and learn about the policy and procedural changes that Stanford Hospital & Clinics has made to bring us in line with HIPAA.

To meet the law's requirements, SHC must train its entire workforce, including nurses and physicians, on the policies that relate to activities covered under HIPAA. We have implemented Web-based training that should be relatively simple for people to work through on their own time and at their own pace.

The training can be completed on any workstation with Internet access. The training site is: http://hipaainfo.stanfordmed.org. Physicians should log on using their dictation number and should choose Track 3 for their training. More detailed instructions are available in the online version of Medical Staff Update at http://www.med.stanford.edu/shc/update, and can also be requested from the Compliance Department (see contact information below). We will also offer on-site sessions that will satisfy part of the training requirement, although the remainder of the training must still be completed online. For a schedule of these sessions, see the online version of Update or contact the Compliance Department.

The Medical Staff Office is required to keep track of who has completed HIPAA training (and who hasn't), and for those who complete the Web-based training, this will occur seamlessly. All training must be completed by April 14.

While we should comply with HIPAA because it is simply the right thing to do, it is important to note that there are significant financial penalties for noncompliance - fines of up to $25,000 per year. In addition, some attorneys may use the law to take malpractice actions into the federal courts to avoid the MICRA cap of $250,000 in economic damages.

When the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations comes through for its next accreditation survey in the spring of 2004, we can be certain that the inspectors will be checking our compliance with HIPAA along with everything else. In the coming months you'll be hearing about strategies designed to make sure our institution is in a state of continual readiness for these types of surveys.

Remember, HIPAA is a federal law with which we must comply. So please - don't shoot the messengers!

Questions regarding HIPAA training or other HIPAA-related issues can be directed to Carole Klove, chief compliance officer, at carole.klove@ medcenter.stanford.edu or (650) 724-2572, or to the SHC/LPCH Compliance Department at hipaaQ&A@medcenter.stanford.edu.

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Contact Larry Shuer by email at lshuer@stanford.edu or by phone at 723-5371.