Patient Communications, E-mail and Texting – How to Meet Patient Requests for Information and Stay within the HIPAA Rules (T6082) Thursday, September 12, 2019 /1:30 p.m. -3:00 p.m. Speaker: Jim Sheldon-Dean Lewis Creek Systems, LLC Founder and Director of Compliance Services Course Curriculum: Communications in healthcare is an increasingly complex issue. The use of texting and plain e-mail, along with patient access to health information, are two of the most current issues in HIPAA compliance and enforcement. Providing appropriate access is one of the cornerstones of HIPAA and has been identified as an area of serious non-compliance that has been targeted in the most recent round of HIPAA Audits. Proper evaluation and management of risks is also on the hot list for audits and enforcement, and that includes considering communications appropriately both with patients, and for business purposes that may or may not contain Protected Health Information. In addition, extensive new guidance from HHS about individual access of information makes clear many areas of the access rules that must be reviewed for compliance in every health care organization. Violations are subject to enforcement that can include fines up to $50,000 per day and more, and years-long corrective action plans that can cost many times the financial settlement with HHS. Enforcement is no longer in the slap-on-the-wrist days; violations do bring significant penalties today. The session will discuss the requirements, the risks, and the issues of the increasing use of e-mail and texting for patient and provider communications and provide a road map for how to use them safely and effectively, to increase the quality of health care and patient satisfaction. In addition, the session will discuss how to be prepared for the eventuality that there is a breach, so that compliance can be assured. Continuing Education Credits Georgia Hospital Association is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Alabama State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Approved for 1.5 Contact Hours The Georgia Hospital Association Research & Education Foundation is accredited by the Medical Association of Georgia to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Georgia Hospital Association Research & Education Foundation designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. The Georgia Hospital Association is an approved provider of nursing home administrator credits by the Georgia Board of Nursing Home Administrators. Approved for 1.5 contact hours in professional development / integrity, resident care management, leadership skills, and management. If you are registering for an out-of-state hospital association, please contact Bess Zappa, bzappa@gha.org or 770-249-4542.