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FIVE STEPS TO PROTECT YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH
INFORMATION
For more information, contact:
Brenda W. Tuck, RHIT, CCS
Director Health Information Management/Privacy
Officer
919-690-3000 Ext 4423 |
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Personal health information is a valuable
resource. Not only to you, but the doctors, nurses,
and other healthcare professionals
who provide your treatment and care. At Granville
Medical Center, health information management (HIM)
professionals are
constantly working with your healthcare provider(s)
to make sure your information is kept private,
secure, and in accordance
with federal and state laws. As National Health
Information Privacy and Security Week (April 10-16)
approaches, the HIM
professionals at the Medical Center offer five steps
you can take to ensure the protection and
confidentiality of your personal
health information:
1. Read your healthcare provider's and health
plan's Notice of Privacy Practices. This notice
informs you about your rights and
how they may use your personal health information.
Remember that you can request restrictions on the
use and disclosure of
your health information for treatment, payment, or
notification purposes.
2. Talk to your healthcare provider and
health plan if you have any concerns about the
confidentiality of your health information.
3. Read the fine print before you authorize
release of information.
The authorization should specify who is to receive
your health information and the purpose of its use.
4. Know what health information is being
collected about you and by whom. Find out what
safeguards are used to keep it
confidential.
5. Be cautious before giving your information
on Web sites, phone surveys, or in health screening
questionnaires. Know how the
information may be used or disclosed. "National
Health Information Privacy and Security Week is
sponsored by the American
Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
It is designed to raise awareness among the public
about the importance
of personal health information privacy and
security," stated Brenda Tuck, RHIT, CCS, Director
of Health Information Management
and Privacy Officer at Granville Medical Center. For
more information about your personal health
information privacy rights,
visit www.myphr.org. AHIMA is the premier
association of HIM professionals. AHIMA's 50,000
members are dedicated to the
effective management of personal health information
needed to deliver quality healthcare to the public.
Founded in 1928 to
improve the quality of medical records, AHIMA is
committed to advancing the HIM profession in an
increasingly electronic and
global environment through leadership in advocacy,
education, certification, and lifelong learning. For
information about the
Association, go to
www.ahima.org. |
