5 Documents to Always Shred Securely for Your Ft. Myers Health Care Practice

If you’re operating a Health Care Practice in Ft. Myers, you already understand the need for confidentiality. In 1996, the federal government introduced the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA). Hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, and medical billing companies have been required to be in compliance with HIPAA since April 14, 2003.

Section II of HIPAA is known as Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information or sometimes simply “The Privacy Rule.”  This section mandates that healthcare professionals protect the confidentiality of their customers and patients. One way of ensuring HIPAA compliance is by shredding any documents containing a patient’s protected health information.

Below, we’ll cover 5 examples of documents to always shred at your Ft. Myers health care practice.

1.  Initial Intake Paperwork

New patients will likely fill out a number of initial forms when visiting for the first time. In addition to general vital data such as name, birthdate, and Social Security number, these forms might also contain insurance information, along with protected information relating to their symptoms or treatment plan. These must be confidentially disposed of by law.

2. Ongoing Medical Records

As an umbrella rule, you should shred anything that includes a patient’s name, birthdate, and Social Security number. Medical records will typically have additional confidential information relating to a patient’s diagnosis and treatment plan, which are also covered by HIPAA.

3.  X-Rays/X-Ray Jackets

X-ray jackets also contain confidential patient information covered by HIPAA. Sometimes, a person can commit medical fraud by stealing an X-ray and posing as someone who needs a higher standard of care, so it’s best to shred all documents that can be used for identity theft and other forms of fraud.

4.  Prescription Data

Any form containing a patient’s prescription data should be disposed of. Yes; this includes the labels on bottles of prescription medication, which can be removed, applied to a separate piece of paper, and then shredded.

5. Insurance Forms

Forms from an insurance company should also be protected, as this can become a source of identity theft and medical fraud.

When in Doubt, Shred It

While some of the above documents can be kept in a confidential file, disposing of these items demands full compliance with HIPAA regulations. As a general rule, any form containing a patient’s name, birthdate, Social Security number, and any medical information should be professionally shredded. The highest standards of compliance also mean the highest standards of patient care.

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