A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

HIPAA requirement for shredding and transportation of documents - Lisa

Posted: Apr 22, 2010

Can anyone tell me the specific HIPAA requirement for shredding and transportation of documents. Can the shredding be outsourced or does it have to be in house and if it is transported to be shredded how does it need to be secured?

HIPAA does not incorporate such specific guidelines. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
HIPAA is really about outcomes in terms of securing PHI, and dictates very little in the way of the specific methods, technologies or procedures that an entity must follow in order to achieve those outcomes.

You can shred documents or have them shredded (there are now shredding companies that say they're "HIPAA-compliant" although, just like transcription companies, this claim can mean almost anything).

Sometimes these companies shred on site and you can supervise, obviously. If not, you can ask to accompany (or have an employee accompany) the load to the company's shredder site and observe it being shredded. Just observe the documents being loaded into the truck and then follow it in your own car. This would certainly satisfy the "reasonable precautions" required under HIPAA.

Remember that "incidental" exposure of PHI to an unauthorized party (as might happen during the handling required for shredding) is NOT considered to be a violation of HIPAA, so don't make yourself crazy with all kinds of imagined "HIPAA requirements".

Some info - Ima MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Myth or Fact:

In-house shredding programs prevent HIPAA related compliance issues from arising.

Fact. In-house shredding programs potentially create more HIPAA concerns than they resolve, because document destruction cannot be independently certified, and because proper security protocol is rarely practiced.

Respectfully disagree - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Rarely does introducing a third party into any process make it inherently more secure or more reliable.

"Independent" verification does not imply "third-party" verification. A second employee, especially someone such as the entity's privacy officer, can be called upon to witness the destruction of the documents and no other "verification" is required.

As for using "proper security protocols", that is easily remedied by, well...using proper security protocols!

Don't be tricked into believing that you can't shred documents yourself. You most certainly can. Just do it right.

Hmmm.. - Horski

[ In Reply To ..]
The hospital I worked for was HIPAA compliant and very careful on all of these issues and we had someone pick it up. Actually, we had boxes that were locked and once you put in the box, even I couldn't get it back. It was considered destroyed already. They would come unlock the box and take the bag and replace with a new one. Very efficient.

"HIPAA compliant" has no particular meaning - when it comes to these matters.

[ In Reply To ..]
There is only one thing that "HIPAA compliant" means - i.e., that you have taken reasonable precautions to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of PHI.

The SPECIFIC MANNER in which you do this is NOT prescribed by HIPAA. You could burn the documents, soak them in a bleach solution, shred them or eat them, for that matter.

The government never intended to impose any "one size fits all" security solutions or procedures on anyone. They don't tell you whether you must use 128-bit encryption or 256. They don't tell you what your firewall settings must be. They don't tell you how many characters, or what kind, must be in your user passwords. They don't tell you how often you should review your server event or security logs. And they don't tell you how to dispose of paper records.

There are many, many covered entities located in places where there is no "secure" shredding service available. These facilities have absolutely NO problem whatsoever shredding their own documents and remaining perfectly "HIPAA compliant" while doing so!

I'm surprised incineration is not the only option. - hippa-hubba-bubba

[ In Reply To ..]
.

Similar Messages:

Sep 25, 2012

what are you all doing when there is no work during whatever your shift may have been? Are you having to make up the hours elsewhere? (That could lead to potentially a lot of bouncing around the shifts trying to find work.) ...

Oct 29, 2009

Hi, I need a quick check on HIPAA rules. With respect to the health care debate, I want to write to my senator, etc., about a situation with a patient I transcribed on. The only info. I intend to give is that the patient was a: Russian immigrant, on welfare and receiving Medicaid benefits--when he should not have. He and his "sponsor(s)" was responsible for his care and living expenses. Further, I transcribed a note in which the doctor said that this patient wanted to re-sched ...

Jun 01, 2013

Has anyone ever had a problem using a document over and over, that extra spaces get embedded in your documents? ...

Mar 08, 2012

I have a new client that would like for me to transcribe their reports which I do all the time, so no problem. They would like to send the reviewed/edited letter back to me to either attach and email or fax. Any suggestions on a per letter price? I would not have long distance charges for faxing. Thank you! ...

Mar 31, 2013

I have been hired by a local social club to transcribe documents for their archives. The original is 52 pages long, but with refomatting and all, i expect the document to be over 100 pages long. Can anybody give me an idea of what to charge? ...

Apr 26, 2013

It really hurts the line count bad. So far, I have had a lot of documents that require quite a bit of formatting - H&Ps, consults and ER reports from several facilities with each having different requirements and everyone wanting the ROS and PE different. Also, lack of punctation is hurting a lot too. I can't wait until I get out of here. Just 8 more months and counting! ...

Oct 20, 2009

I'm going to start ASR shortly and am wondernig about line counts. I'm required to do 150 lph of straight transcription. My CCM keeps saying not to worry about lines and that I'll be able to easily do 300 lph or more with ASR. Does this mean I now will have two different line counts to meet. Will I be required to do 300 lph for ASR and 150 lph for straight reports? I'm confused on this. Thanks ...

Mar 15, 2010

Can somebody explain this to me? I know you can work up to 40 hrs weekly, but what is the required line count? I'm wanting to go to PT so I can get another PT job somewhere else, as the NJA drives my nuts. I'm currently required to get 100 lph at FTLB. Is this also my requirement if I go PT? CCM has been MIA, so I'm not getting any help there and having a hard time finding exactly what I'm looking for on Central. Thanks ...

Jan 07, 2011

I started to apply for a job at Medquist, but saw right off the bat they required my Social Security number to be given. I feel uncomfortable giving out my number before I even fill out an application or take a test. It didn't appear to me to be a secure site, and I don't like that floating around in cyberspace. I wrote them back and asked if I could give my SS# after I took a test, but have received no reply. I've put in several applic ...

Jul 10, 2011

It is very annoying to see so many companies with a DSL or cable only requirement to apply for a position with them. I use a fixed wireless connection with Doc-Q-Scribe and with ChartNet with absolutely no problems at alll. In fact, I am consistently one of the top...or THE top producer of lines every month and I am up against MTs who mostly have cable and DSL. That cable and DSL only policy is keeping some excellent MTs from applying for positions. Many of these compan ...

Dec 05, 2011

Last month, there was a post about a company that requires 12,000 lines per pay period full time requirement. I cannot remember which company it was. Can anyone refresh my memory? ...

Mar 10, 2012

For example, Transcend has/had a line commitment more so than an 8-hr requirement, some companies only need 32-35 hours a week for FT status, and I would appreciate if any know and would share who these companies are. ...

Jan 08, 2013

What is the QA score requirement? I thought it was 99%. I had three audits today that scored 99.75% and was told that if I proofread the jobs better before I sent them I would catch these small mistakes (one per job). Are we supposed to get 100% now? Just curious. TIA! ...

Mar 09, 2013

Very shortly our accuracy requirement will be 99.6%. Since this company cares nothing about accuracy, my conclusion is two-fold: 1) As they always have, they are going to use this as a marketing tool. 2) Anyone who falls below 99.6% will have their pay docked thus reducing the company's labor costs even further and will probably result in administrative bonuses. For new employees - welcome to MM. For everyone else - get out if you can. ...

May 13, 2013

I have been offered a position with InScribe and am really on the fence regarding accepting the position or not. I currently work for Webmedx/Nuance and positively HATE Nuance and looking to get out of there. The presentation for InScribe says they require all their MTs to maintain a 99.5 score or better and you are only allowed 1 time a year to fall below 99.5. This scares me to death to be honest. I am a good transcriptionist and consistently have reports through FIESA ...

Aug 18, 2013

I thought I had read somewhere you have to be 50 and older. ?? Maybe I was mistaken. Hope so, I'd miss it by 1 year. :( So, since got laid off Friday, plan on applying for unemployment Monday. If I want to try and apply for TAA should I NOT apply for unemployment? Did I read that you CAN be on UI and apply for this? Jeesh, apparently I can never remember what I had read. I think all of those of us (eventually probably most if not all of us) who got laid off should just use this ...

Dec 27, 2013

I know straight typing is 157 lph. Anyone know what the editing LPH is? ...

Feb 19, 2015

Just curious as to what your particular company requires in terms of VSR/ASR lph and straight type lph requirements? QA percentage, etc? I feel my company is getting a little steep on theirs and chastising people inappropriately and it fosters major errors to be flying at the speed of sound. Sound off? Thanks. ...

Mar 16, 2010

on your lines? I have the worst time staying focused and get worried at the end of every pay period if I haven't met my minimum line requirement. I get paid more on minimum wage anyway. Do you always make your line minimum requirement? ...

Aug 05, 2011

What is the production requirement for Nuance and how long do you have to meet it? If you are not meeting it in 90 days do they let you go or do they give you time? ...

Jan 10, 2013

Has anyone by told by the transcription company where they are an IC that they are required to either obtain a business license or become an LLC? ...

May 07, 2013

Is anyone else having difficulty making required line counts on Accentus Canadian account? ...

Aug 19, 2013

Hi. I received an email from my account telling me ICs are now BA (business associate) per HIPAA. Honestly, I do not know anything about this. They provided some links for me to read on. I was given the choice to become a BA and provide the requirements they need or become an employee. I would like to still be self-employed and not an employee if I can. Have anyone here completed the requirements? Can you please help me how you got the requirements done? They also require liability insuranc ...

Nov 23, 2013

got a report from auditors with a several below 99.6% and they were still marked as passing. anyone else? ...

Dec 07, 2013

Can any of you share with me what your LPH requirement for editing is? Our hospital just switched to Epic and they told us 225 LPH which none of us can make unless we take a hit of speed first. Just kidding of course, we don't do that, but none of us can make that editing expectation. They don't have any additional parameters, because the boss doesn't know anything about transcription, so I can't tell you if it includes spaces, headers, or what. We would get in trouble i ...

Jun 08, 2015

I wanted to share with you all an interesting conversation I had while on a job interview on Friday. The job interview was for a QA-type position. The hospital is very well known in my area for being one of the best around. I say that not to benefit myself in any way, just to set the stage...I get asked the usual questions about strengths and weaknesses, etc. The conversation moves along and the subject of quality comes up. I mention that my current employer� ...

Aug 01, 2010

Are you only allowed an 8 hour window to do your work? ...

Jul 26, 2011

Does anyone know how hard and fast MQ is on their minimum part-time requirements? I know it's 24 hours per week. I'm ideally looking for 16-20 hours. Does anyone work for MQ for less than 24 hours a week? Just wondering if there's any flexibility on this. Thanks! ...

Dec 21, 2012

I'm aware of the increase in lines per hour to 186 (average between regular and edited) which I think might be a little challenging to sustain on a regular day-in and day-out basis, but why is no one discussing the increased weekly line requirements. It's a pretty significant jump. ...

Dec 30, 2011

Do I still have to make up those hours? ...