Colleagues,

At our facility employee health information is protected by HIPAA. If an individual requests their information, titers, immunization reports ect… They are required to fill out a HIPAA release form. Those forms are kept in the employee health file.

Tami Garrison

Coordinator H2U Clinic

Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center

208-535-4360 ~ Fax 208-535-4355

Find joy, peace and happiness every day! Love freely. Believe the best is yet to come....

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From: MCOH-EH [mailto:mcoh-eh-bounces@mylist.net] On Behalf Of Dr Joe Fanucchi
Sent: Friday, August 08, 2014 12:55 PM
To: MCOH/EH
Subject: [MCOH-EH] HIPAA and health care workers

Colleagues,

In my role as president of an employee health software company, I am rooutinely asked to sign Business Associate Agreements (HIPAA confidentiality agreements) with the hospitals using our software -- since in the course of converting their legacy databases and providing ongoing support, we routinely view medical information pertaining to employees, volunteers, contractors, students and licensed independent professionals.

Today I was intrigued that an individual with the title General Counsel for Health Sciences informed me that their medical center does not consider the personal medical information contained in their employee health database to be protected by HIPAA. I'd be interested in knowing how prevalent this position is. Has anyone else been given that information by their hospital's legal department? If you're not comfortable revealing the name of the institution, please feel free to reply to me individually rather than to the entire list.

Respectfully,

Joe Fanucchi

--
Joe Fanucchi MD FACOEM
President and Medical Director
MediTrax / OHS, Inc.
o:925-820-7758
c:925-368-3367