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Phoenix Health Systems'
HIPAA Privacy Policies Template Suite
For Healthcare Providers

Overview

HIPAA requires healthcare providers to implement a comprehensive approach to protecting the privacy of personal health information. For many organizations, this necessitates a major overhaul of their policies, procedures and processes for handling protected health information.

The huge task of developing or revising the organization's privacy policies may be the single most difficult aspect of HIPAA privacy implementation. Each policy must be specific relative to the privacy regulations' complex requirements, yet be worded simply enough to be understood and applied across the workforce. Each policy must also set the foundation for the individual departmental procedures needed to support and implement the policy.

Phoenix Health Systems has developed a "near-camera-ready" suite of privacy policies to help hospitals and other providers meet these daunting objectives. The Phoenix HIPAA Privacy Policies Templates are intended to jump-start privacy officials' efforts in tailoring privacy policies and procedures to reflect their organizations' specific needs and operating environments, in order to:

  1. satisfy regulatory mandates, and
  2. define an organizational culture and policy framework to drive HIPAA privacy implementation.

Phoenix' HIPAA Privacy Policies Templates are mapped to the final federal HIPAA privacy regulations of December 28, 2000 and as modified August 14, 2002. They are written from a hospital perspective, but are also useful for skilled nursing facilities and other provider environments. Each template is presented in a standard format reflecting critical organizational functions to consider in HIPAA remediation:

Policy Administration:

Provides space for reviews, approvals, numbering

Policy Summary:

Generally summarizes the scope and intent of the policy.

Purpose:

Describes what the organization is trying to accomplish through execution of the policy.

Policy:

Provides suggested wording for the policy detail. The templates are written to incorporate all of the relevant regulatory requirements in each policy.

Scope/Applicability:

Provides for listing of all departments to which the policy would apply. Users should identify applicable departments and areas and insert this information here.
Regulatory Reference: Cites the section(s) of the HIPAA administrative simplification regulations to which the template relates.
Definitions: Related definitions are included in every policy to ensure that each policy will "stand on its own", and to minimize misinterpretation.
Responsible Department: Provides space for listing the department responsible for implementing the policy.
Authority/Enforcement: Offers space for listing of personnel responsible for monitoring and enforcing the policy. This section generically includes the Privacy Official. Users may incorporate titles to match their organization's terminology, organizational structure and division of duties.
Related Policies: Provides references to other HIPAA policies that relate in content or intent.
Renewal/Review: Provides opportunity for organization to outline a schedule and/or circumstances under which policy is to be reviewed and updated.
Procedures: Offers space for organization to reference procedures that are put in place to support and implement the policy. Templates include the generic "TBD" (to be determined).
Notes: Additional notes are set apart in courier type to provide users with additional direction in drafting policies and procedures.

Providers may obtain a perpetual license for indefinite use and customization of the Phoenix HIPAA Privacy Policies Templates Suite within their organization. Policies are delivered immediately via CD.
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Overview

Using the Templates to
Aid in Compliance

List of Privacy Policies
Templates in the Suite

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