The Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics and the Healthcare Compliance Association designated Nov. 5-11, 2023, as Corporate Compliance and Ethics Week. This a great time to spotlight Ballad Health’s Compliance Program and ongoing compliance efforts. Code of Ethics Ballad Health is committed to acting with integrity and ethical behavior at all times. To outline some of the most important points of this commitment, a Code of Ethics was developed and approved by the Ballad Health Board. The Code of Ethics calls on employees to “display a superior level of professionalism and integrity while engaged in the organization’s business.” The Code of Ethics can be found on the Ballad Health intranet site and in Policy Manager. Who’s who in Compliance? As part of the Corporate Compliance program, Ballad Health has a chief compliance officer who oversees the compliance program and a HIPAA compliance officer who supports the HIPAA compliance initiatives across Ballad Health.   The Corporate…

As a reminder to all team members, please follow our dress code policy. In particular, T-shirts from the Ballad Health family of brands are acceptable to wear on Fridays, but must be worn in compliance with the other elements of our dress code. This means no sweatshirts, hoodies, denim/jeans or unbranded attire. Remember – dress code compliance is considered a security measure. It is important for patients and visitors to be able to recognize us as Ballad Health team members when they see us. It is also important that we present ourselves in a professional and respectful way as we represent Ballad Health to the community. Related to that, please maintain a professional appearance when in a video meeting on Microsoft Teams. In addition, it is crucial that team members properly display their Ballad Health ID badges while they are at work. NOTE: Ballad Health dress code requirements also apply to all Ballad Health Medical…

The Ballad Health Epic journey has moved us to one electronic health as an organization. We’ve just completed our Epic Phase 2 transition for those services and departments that were not already on the Epic system, which means now is a good time to review some rules about appropriate access to a patient’s medical record in Epic. Benefits of using Epic There are plenty of benefits to using Epic, including: Clinicians can see a patient’s complete story. Inpatient and outpatient charts are combined, increasing patient safety. Patients are empowered with Epic’s online health management tool, MyChart. With one electronic health record, more of the patient’s protected health information (PHI) is now available for access for treatment, payment and healthcare operations, as permitted by HIPAA. PHI is not just the clinical data but also includes demographic information such as name, address, telephone number, birthdate, Social Security Number, email address, visit and medical record numbers, admit/discharge date,…

Here’s a reminder from Ballad Health’s Compliance Department about patients’ Protected Health Information (PHI). Patients have the option to exercise their privacy right to request limits on the use or disclosure of their Protected Health Information (PHI). Request for Restrictions All requests should be submitted in writing and reviewed to determine if Ballad Health can comply with the request per the Patient/Resident Restriction Request of the Use and/or Disclosure of Protected Health Information Ballad Health policy IM-900-021. The Ballad Health-approved Patient Request for Restriction of the Use and/or Disclosure of Their Protected Health Information form MS-7004 should be utilized for restriction request. When a request is accepted or approved Once a patient requested restriction is accepted/approved, that restriction must be complied with throughout Ballad Health. Examples of types of reasonable restrictions that we have received and accepted in the past are: opt-out of the facility directory, objection to disclosing PHI to family members and friends,…

Team members are invited to join this lunchtime HIPAA “411” Webex presentation, entitled “Consent to Treatment for Minor Patients,” hosted by Corporate Compliance on Monday, Feb. 28, from noon-1 p.m. It will be presented by Andy Wampler, Ballad Health Legal Department, deputy general counsel. The presentation will benefit any team member in a setting that cares for children. Covered in the discussion will be two new policies recently adopted by Ballad Health — one for Tennessee and one for Virginia — on the topic of consent to treatment for minor patients. The Webex will outline those policies and review issues of state law that impact providing consent. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the presentation. How to join Join by phone: +1-415-655-0001 US TOLL Join by meeting number: Click here to join the meeting. Meeting number (access code): 2315 060 8677 Meeting password: bJr6i3KExp7 For more information, contact…

Take this quick HIPAA pop quiz! In which of the following circumstances are you allowed to look up a patient’s medical records? You learn that your child’s teacher has been visiting one of our clinics and you are concerned. Your coworker is out sick, and you want to see if you can help. You hear about one of our patients in the media and want to make sure they are okay. A local celebrity is an inpatient and you’re curious why they’re here. NONE OF THE ABOVE. The correct answer is 5. All of the above examples are forms of “snooping.” Snooping means intentionally accessing or viewing anyone’s protected health information (PHI) without a job-related reason to do so. Improperly accessing electronic health records can result in termination of employment and even lead to criminal fines and penalties. Here are some things to know before accessing patient information. HIPAA access violations According to HIPAA: Accessing…

Have you ever needed access to your medical record and wondered if you could use your work-assigned Epic login to do so? Then you should know that Ballad Health policy prohibits workforce members from using their work-assigned login credentials to access their own medical record in Epic. There are ways, however, to get the information you seek – one of which is through the utilization of an Epic MyChart patient portal. One of the many benefits of Epic’s MyChart patient portal is that it gives patients the ability to access their medical information (medications, test results, upcoming appointments, medical bills, price estimates and more). There is functionality within MyChart that allows patients to request a copy of their medical records which could be sent to their patient portal if they choose. This allows patients an easily accessible way to make request for medical records. MyChart is available to all Ballad Health patients and can be…