-
If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ & read the forum rules. To view all forums, post or create a new thread, you must be an AAPC Member. If you are a member and have already registered for member area and forum access, you can log in by clicking here. If you've forgotten your username or password use our password reminder tool. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below..
Wiki Notice of Privacy Practices
- Thread starter Jtk625
- Start date
cyndeew
Guru
- Messages
- 135
- Best answers
- 0
You should provide patients with a new notice whenever there are changes to your NPP. BTW, there have been changes to HIPAA Privacy that should require everyone to edit policy and their NPP and that means you will have to disclose the new policy as well as document the patient has been made aware of it with the NPP.
For instance - Individual rights are expanded in important ways. Patients can ask for a copy of their electronic medical record in an electronic form. When individuals pay by cash they can instruct their provider not to share information about their treatment with their health plan. The final omnibus rule sets new limits on how information is used and disclosed for marketing and fundraising purposes and prohibits the sale of an individuals' health information without their permission.
See the press release regarding the new HIPAA Final Regulation at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/01/20130117b.html
For instance - Individual rights are expanded in important ways. Patients can ask for a copy of their electronic medical record in an electronic form. When individuals pay by cash they can instruct their provider not to share information about their treatment with their health plan. The final omnibus rule sets new limits on how information is used and disclosed for marketing and fundraising purposes and prohibits the sale of an individuals' health information without their permission.
See the press release regarding the new HIPAA Final Regulation at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/01/20130117b.html
Kisalyn
Expert
I read the "once every three years" on the HHS site and that was under health plans as the covered entity. For providers, I only read that it's to be provided at the intial encounter. I think, but I'm not positive, that our practice hands them out if we haven't seen a patient back in the office for over a year.
Also...
I just had to take a HIPAA compliance test for work and the materials we received states this:
Acknowledgment of Receipt -
The Rule requires a practice to obtain an acknowledgment of receipt from the patient at the time of their initial encounter with the practice. This is a simple statement that the patient has received the practice's notice, and is a one-time event. This means that the practice does not have to obtain additional acknowledgements whenever it changes the content of its notice.
The right to receive a copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices -
This informs patients that they have a right to receive a copy of the notice (i.e., this is why handout copies must be available for patients to take with them). It will also state that your
practice has the right to change the terms of the notice at any time. And, as needed, new versions of the notice will be available upon request. Note that while a copy of the revised notice must be available for the patient to obtain upon request, a practice is not required to automatically mail or distribute copies of a revised notice to patients.
Not sure how up to date the above is, but it's dated for the April 2013 test we had to take.
Also...
I just had to take a HIPAA compliance test for work and the materials we received states this:
Acknowledgment of Receipt -
The Rule requires a practice to obtain an acknowledgment of receipt from the patient at the time of their initial encounter with the practice. This is a simple statement that the patient has received the practice's notice, and is a one-time event. This means that the practice does not have to obtain additional acknowledgements whenever it changes the content of its notice.
The right to receive a copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices -
This informs patients that they have a right to receive a copy of the notice (i.e., this is why handout copies must be available for patients to take with them). It will also state that your
practice has the right to change the terms of the notice at any time. And, as needed, new versions of the notice will be available upon request. Note that while a copy of the revised notice must be available for the patient to obtain upon request, a practice is not required to automatically mail or distribute copies of a revised notice to patients.
Not sure how up to date the above is, but it's dated for the April 2013 test we had to take.