Locks for HIPAA compliance RESPONSES
Randy McFarland
Description
Collection
Title:
Locks for HIPAA compliance RESPONSES
Creator:
Randy McFarland
Date:
3/30/2005
Text:
ORIGINAL POST
Am I understanding correctly that HIPAA requires us to put locks on
doors that lead from patient areas to areas that have patient charts
that are not locked in a room or a cabinet?
This means that doors to practitioners' offices (where charts are
sitting on their desks) must always be kept closed and locked. This
means that practitioner must have a key or a code to open the door to
his own office each time.
What type of door locks are you guys using?
Thanks, Randy McFarland, CPO Fullerton, CA
Additional comment My consultant insists that HIPAA specifies that we
have to protect charts sitting at our desks and we have to protect them
from non-essential employees accessing them.
RESPONSES
Randy you are wearing us out worrying about locks. Dude put your files
in your computer where they belong. Use pass words for different levels
of access. No locks. No paper.
Randy, as long as you have locking file cabinets for your patient
charts,
you don't need to go through the expense and hassle of installing inner
office door locks.
I have actually hired two armed guards who were previously with the ARMY
Rangers to protect PHI in our office. There have only been a few
confrontations so far, but no one was seriously hurt and the violators
are usually released from the hospital after just a few short days.
This is working out great! As an added precaution, I have armed my file
cabinets with explosives so that anyone trying to open the files after
hours would be vaporized and blown to bits.
Randy, don't go crazy on me. If the charts are kept in an area that is
away from patient access, I'd just close the door and instruct your
staff not to go in without your permission. I still see physician
offices with those big chart cabinets and I doubt that they will make
any changes. If I get in trouble, I'll let you know.
Am I understanding correctly that HIPAA requires us to put locks on
doors that lead from patient areas to areas that have patient charts
that are not locked in a room or a cabinet?
This means that doors to practitioners' offices (where charts are
sitting on their desks) must always be kept closed and locked. This
means that practitioner must have a key or a code to open the door to
his own office each time.
What type of door locks are you guys using?
Thanks, Randy McFarland, CPO Fullerton, CA
Additional comment My consultant insists that HIPAA specifies that we
have to protect charts sitting at our desks and we have to protect them
from non-essential employees accessing them.
RESPONSES
Randy you are wearing us out worrying about locks. Dude put your files
in your computer where they belong. Use pass words for different levels
of access. No locks. No paper.
Randy, as long as you have locking file cabinets for your patient
charts,
you don't need to go through the expense and hassle of installing inner
office door locks.
I have actually hired two armed guards who were previously with the ARMY
Rangers to protect PHI in our office. There have only been a few
confrontations so far, but no one was seriously hurt and the violators
are usually released from the hospital after just a few short days.
This is working out great! As an added precaution, I have armed my file
cabinets with explosives so that anyone trying to open the files after
hours would be vaporized and blown to bits.
Randy, don't go crazy on me. If the charts are kept in an area that is
away from patient access, I'd just close the door and instruct your
staff not to go in without your permission. I still see physician
offices with those big chart cabinets and I doubt that they will make
any changes. If I get in trouble, I'll let you know.
Citation
Randy McFarland, “Locks for HIPAA compliance RESPONSES,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 25, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/224537.
