Question: Is Preferred Health Resources HIPAA compliant?

Answer: Yes. Medicine and record keeping are complicated. More and more patient information is compiled and shared electronically.  Preferred Health Resources upholds the highest standards and complies with HIPAA privacy and security regulations.

Yes, Preferred Health is compliant but the big question is your office ready? Your practice needed to be ready to implement the privacy regulations by April 2004.  Sort of old news at this point but compliance is a day-to-day factor of healthcare, including your billers.

A successful compliance plan should encompass every area of regulation which are relevant for your practice. Every practice should have a HIPAA plan, with no exceptions.

As a reminder a principle component of a compliance plan is an empowered and effective conformity official or compliance committee. In the event a compliance committee is designated by the practice, the compliance officer can organize the duties involving the members and is going to function as chairperson.  Below is a summary responsibilities that PHR takes on for HIPAA Compliance .

HIPAA Compliant Checklist

  1. The whole staff at Preferred Health Resources is trained in HIPAA/privacy compliance.
  2. The main PHR billing/practice management system has a full audit trail of which employer and practice user touches what records.
  3. The compliance officer and management is accountable for the organizing or screening of independent contractors, representatives, and workers.
  4. The compliance officer and management will perform and organize all investigations of deficiencies identified through the regular evaluations or caused by the reporting system.
  5. The compliance officer will commence and/or coordinate preventative and corrective actions for regions of noncompliance identified in the regular audits and/or through the reporting system.
  6. An annual budget essential to perform all HIPAA compliance is reviewed and approved PHR management and implemented as directed.
  7. Subsequent to the performance of an annual  baseline evaluation, the proper compliance system files and logs will be reviewed by the compliance office, management and IT.

Just as medical coders have to use the appropriate code set to describe a procedure or diagnosis, so too do does our staff have to use the right procedures to insure patient privacy.