Many paper documents containing PHI, like routing slips, spectacle prescriptions, and visual field printouts, are utilized every day in clinic. While transporting these documents from room to room or giving them directly to another staff member is allowed as part of normal healthcare operations, leaving documents containing PHI unattended in a public workplace does not provide reasonable protection for the PHI. You must maintain physical control of these documents at all times. Once printouts or paper back-up exam forms are scanned or transcribed into Compulink they must be discarded in a shred bin. Any documents that need sent to another department within the college (like medical records or the billing office) must be sealed in a red intradepartmental envelope addressed to the appropriate individual. Red intradepartmental envelopes are available in the college mailroom and the medical records department.
FAQ
Q: How should I manage the discovery of a threshold visual field printout on the windowsill of the special testing room?
A: The document should be sealed in a red intradepartmental envelope addressed to Cathy Beatty, the college HIPAA Privacy Officer.