Sounding the Alarm

Know when to notify patients of a data breach can be unclear

CHICAGO, February 3, 2009—Providers operate under state laws that require stewards of personal information to notify patients and employees if their data were involved in a privacy or security breach. But the current 44 states with the requirement have ambiguous data breach notification laws that are not specific enough to help privacy officers decide when or how to promptly handle a breach situation, according to the cover story in the February issue of the Journal of AHIMA.

While encrypted information is a common element of data breach statues in most states, being proactive can help organizations prepare for potential breach incidents. For a facility to effectively respond to a data breach occurrence it should get organized in advance. Sounding the Alarm explains that facilities should maintain an incident response team that can quickly respond to data breaches, meet regularly to discuss changes in law and review breach notification procedures.

The article explains the need to raise employee awareness by educating and training staff about the seriousness of a breach. Additionally, a sidebar details how California passed new legislation after unauthorized employees accessed the health records of a few high-profile celebrities. The new law imposes steep fines on healthcare providers and employees for each patient whose information was accessed, used or disclosed in an unauthorized manner.

Read the complete article in the February issue of the Journal of AHIMA or online at journal.ahima.org.

About AHIMA

The American Health Information Management Association is America’s leading professional society whose mission is to “improve healthcare by advancing best practices and standards for health information management and [serve as] the trusted source for education, research and professional credentialing.” AHIMA represents more than 53,000 specially educated HIM professionals who serve healthcare and the public by managing, analyzing and utilizing data vital for health system management. www.ahima.org