PII/PHI & HIPAA
ALL security breaches MUST be reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Patient Confidentiality and HIPAA Guidelines
Communication through email correspondence is the standard for most facilities in the Network. Please be advised that email correspondence to the Network is NOT SECURE and does not meet the guidelines established by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for transmission of Protected Health Information (PHI). Per the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), communication of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and PHI via Email is classified as a security incident and must be reported to CMS by the Network office.
As per CMS guidelines, if we receive PII or PHI on any patient via email, this breach must be reported to the sender and the facility administrator via email, and to CMS through the use of the CMS Incident Handling Actions. An investigation will be done by a designated CMS QualityNet (QNet) security staff member. Depending on the type and severity of the incident, internal procedures and/or external agencies will be notified as required by law. Upon receipt of our notice from the Network, it is your facility’s responsibility to notify your organization’s HIPAA compliance officer and to follow the guidelines established by your institution to comply with HIPAA mandates.
Resources
United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) HIPAA
QualityNet Users
- Identifying and Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Training Module: Link