{"id":1707,"date":"2019-07-08T14:47:44","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T21:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascentblog.org\/?p=1707"},"modified":"2019-07-08T14:47:44","modified_gmt":"2019-07-08T21:47:44","slug":"hipaa-compliant-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ascentblog.org\/hipaa-compliant-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"HIPAA-Compliant Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Many successful medical practices rely on patient\nreviews and testimonials as a key part of their marketing efforts. As powerful\nas these can be in helping your business, they can run afoul of HIPAA privacy\nrules and regulations; reviewers are not bound to the same restrictions and may\nreveal information that cannot be published. And if you\u2019re in the habit of\npromoting positive reviews and responding to negative ones, you might\ninadvertently cross the line, as well. Despite these potential problems, there\nare ways you can you leverage reviews for positive business purposes. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Understanding\nHIPAA\u2019s Rules Regarding Reviews<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ascentblog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/hipaa-information-hospital-band.jpg\" alt=\"hospital bracelet with HIPAA information \" class=\"wp-image-1708\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Contrary to popular belief, you are allowed to\nrespond to reviews, can share testimonials, discuss case studies, and use\npatient data without violating HIPAA rules. There are some very specific\nrestrictions, however, requiring a thorough understanding of the rules. Keep in\nmind that HIPAA\u2019s privacy regulations are designed to protect \u201cindividually\nidentifiable health information.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>\nProtecting a patient\u2019s anonymity is at the core of \u201cindividually identifiable\u201d\ninformation. HIPAA regulations outline the following identifiers: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Basic information<\/strong>: Name, contact details, URLs, health records,\n     full face photos, IP addresses, vehicle registration information.<\/li><li><strong>Dates<\/strong>:\n     All elements, except year, of any date relating to the individual &nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Geographical information referring to an area\n     smaller than a state, full zip codes or partial (first three digits) zip\n     codes that represent fewer than 20,000 people<\/li><li><strong>Identifying numbers<\/strong>: Social security numbers, account numbers, and\n     similar<\/li><li><strong>Miscellaneous<\/strong>: In addition to the lengthy list of specific\n     personal identifiers, you need to consider if there is a reasonable basis\n     to believe the information may be used to identify the individual. This\n     stipulation is especially relevant to review responses. Even if you omit\n     all personal information, people reading your response will realize you\n     are referring to the reviewer.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Removing all identifiers should help you avoid a\nHIPAA violation. You can also turn to a qualified individual to provide an\nexpert determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Protected health information concerns anything\nrelated to an individual\u2019s mental or physical condition or care. Per HIPAA,\nthis includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Demographic<\/strong>: Age, gender, ethnicity, and similar\n     information<\/li><li><strong>Conditions<\/strong>: Diagnosis, prognosis, symptoms, medical\n     history<\/li><li><strong>Treatment<\/strong>: Test results, prescriptions, medical\n     appointments, care providers<\/li><li><strong>Financial<\/strong>: Past or future payments relating to medical\n     treatment<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While these rules seem straightforward, even the\nmost experienced professionals sometimes have trouble understanding exactly\nwhat they can and cannot say. Some of the most commonly misunderstood areas involve\nthe fact that the individual\u2019s status as a patient is considered health\ninformation; that all health information is protected, even if the patient has\nreleased it him\/herself; and verbal consent is insufficient when releasing\nprotected information \u2013 you must have written authorization. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts recommend crafting HIPAA-compliant patient\nresponses in advance; you are free to thank the reviewer for their feedback\nwithout acknowledging that they are a patient, for example. It\u2019s okay to\nprovide information about your organizations policies and standards of service\nas long as you don\u2019t specifically respond to details of the review. And it\u2019s\ngood practice to invite the person to contact you directly offline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It may seem that HIPAA is so restrictive reviews and\ntestimonials simply aren\u2019t worth the trouble, but given their power as a\nmarketing tool, it\u2019s worth investing the time to understand HIPAA\u2019s privacy\nrule and then use the information to your advantage without worrying about\ncreating a violation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many successful medical practices rely on patient reviews and testimonials as a key part of their marketing efforts. As powerful as these can be in helping your business, they can run afoul of HIPAA privacy rules and regulations; reviewers are not bound to the same restrictions and may reveal information that cannot be published. And&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1708,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"schema":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>HIPAA-Compliant Marketing | ASCENT: Administrator Support Community for ENT<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ASCENT: Administrator Support Community for ENT | Many successful medical practices rely on patient reviews and testimonials as a key part of their marketing efforts. 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