D-2020, Health Insurance and Portability Accountability Act

Revision 13-4; Effective October 1, 2013

CHIP, CHIP Perinatal

Policies and procedures have been established for the secure communication of Protected Health Information (PHI) or confidential information to ensure employees do not use or share any PHI in violation of HIPAA laws and standards. Unauthorized disclosure of PHI is grounds for disciplinary action.

When sharing information is appropriate, HIPAA allows staff to speak to the individual or others with case authority about PHI.

Calls received by the Customer Care Center staff are recorded, which safeguards PHI. These records keep track of who has accessed a recipient's information. Requests from recipients for copies of their records, corrections to mistakes in records and information pertaining to who has accessed the records are forwarded to HHSC.