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Model Patient Privacy Notice Forms Privacy Rule Compliance

Thursday, September 19th, 2013

Patient Privacy Notice Forms

patient privacy notice formsThe HIPAA Privacy Rule gives individuals a fundamental right to be informed of the privacy practices of the health care providers and their privacy rights with respect to their personal health information. Providers are obligated to provide patients with a clear and concise description of their rights.

The HHS Office for Civil Rights and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology have released model Notices of Privacy Practices for health care providers and health plans. The model was created by collaboration between the two agencies with jurisdiction over patient privacy issues. The models express the views of these agencies concerning what health care providers should be communicating to their patients.

The Model Notices can be found at the following page of the HHS web site. Model Privacy Notices

It is notable that the model Notices of Privacy are not as in depth as the forms that have been used by many health care providers in the past. There is a simplicity to the model which seems to be directed toward communicating basic information to patients as opposed to an approach that includes “everything under the sun” in order to protect the provider. The less complicated approach seems to be more consistent with the regulatory requirement that providers develop and distribute a notice that provides a clear, user friendly explanation of these rights and practices.

The model released by the agencies provides a variety of formats that providers can consider depending on the context and their personal preference. The optional format include:

  • Notice in the form of a booklet
  • A layered notice that presents a summary of the information on the first page, followed by the full content on the following pages
  • A notice with the design elements found in the booklet, but formatted for full page presentation
  • A text only version of the notice

The models integrate the regulatory changes contained in the Omnibus Rule. Providers may use these models to serve as the baseline for compliance with the new requirements. For example, relatively new changes to patient access rights to information that is held in an electronic health record is covered. Providers who have not recently updated their notices may not include this information in their disclosure form.

The provided forms are set up so that providers can simply enter their specific information in the model forms. They can then be printed, posted, and otherwise used in connection with their practices.

The agencies seem to be actively encouraging providers to use these standard forms. Providers should take the opportunity to review their Notice of Privacy Policies and consider updating them to conform with the government provided standard forms unless the provider has a compelling reason to be more inclusive in its disclosure.

 

The Model Notices can be found at the following page of the HHS web site. Model Privacy Notices

John H. Fisher

Health Care Counsel
Ruder Ware, L.L.S.C.
500 First Street, Suite 8000
P.O. Box 8050
Wausau, WI 54402-8050

Tel 715.845.4336
Fax 715.845.2718

Ruder Ware is a member of Meritas Law Firms Worldwide

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