hi everyone, don't post much here. I don't work activly in the EMS industry anymore. I have been a texas EMT-Paramedic for over 22 years.
I have a bit of a rant and need for suggestions, so let me do the rant.
I hate all this HIPAA stuff, really I hear about it from people who obviously don't know a thing about it but think they do because the company legal department told them what it meant.
I am in the military(guard), I have had too many of the people in my unit tell me that we are not allowed to ask for pertainant medical information to assess a soldiers fitness for specific tasks as it is a HIPAA violation or that discussing a person between NCO's is a violation of HIPAA. it isn't even really a violation of most states privacy laws that don't even touch HIPAA. some of the NCO's senior to me get mad when I tell that they are wrong. The people refuse to listen and none of them are healthcare professionals in any form, the closest we have in our unit is a HR person, now I am not sure if she told them this or not really. The way I understand HIPAA is that it applies only to covered agencies, I know Privacy laws cover more than HIPAA but most of them not only read like stereo instructions you can't really figure them out unless your a lawyer. but the gist is if you have the information is that you can't release immediately Identifiable information to anyone that does not have a bonafide need to have it.
I really hate all this stuff flying around about HIPAA and Privacy laws because most employers, people and Military units are not even covered by them.
so suggestions how to get a certification on HIPAA without paying thru the nose and how to convince the people to not be anally intorverted by stating wrong belief as fact?
I have a bit of a rant and need for suggestions, so let me do the rant.
I hate all this HIPAA stuff, really I hear about it from people who obviously don't know a thing about it but think they do because the company legal department told them what it meant.
I am in the military(guard), I have had too many of the people in my unit tell me that we are not allowed to ask for pertainant medical information to assess a soldiers fitness for specific tasks as it is a HIPAA violation or that discussing a person between NCO's is a violation of HIPAA. it isn't even really a violation of most states privacy laws that don't even touch HIPAA. some of the NCO's senior to me get mad when I tell that they are wrong. The people refuse to listen and none of them are healthcare professionals in any form, the closest we have in our unit is a HR person, now I am not sure if she told them this or not really. The way I understand HIPAA is that it applies only to covered agencies, I know Privacy laws cover more than HIPAA but most of them not only read like stereo instructions you can't really figure them out unless your a lawyer. but the gist is if you have the information is that you can't release immediately Identifiable information to anyone that does not have a bonafide need to have it.
I really hate all this stuff flying around about HIPAA and Privacy laws because most employers, people and Military units are not even covered by them.
so suggestions how to get a certification on HIPAA without paying thru the nose and how to convince the people to not be anally intorverted by stating wrong belief as fact?
