Apex Care LLC
June 2019 Education Inservice

HIPPA in Home Care
Composed by Amber Jaggars RN, BSN


Being a caregiver in your clients home naturally allows you to learn a great deal about your clients lives. This makes the experience more personal, allowing for better care but also brings with it the responsibility to keep client information private. Protecting your clients privacy is respectful and professional, as well as an essential part of your job as a care provider. Privacy rights are legally enforced through HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), a federal law passed by congress in 1996, the privacy rule defines how health care providers must relate to protected health information or PHI.
PHI is health or billing information that identifies or can be used with other information to identify an individual. There are 18 PHI identifiers, they are as follows:
Patient name
Any geographic subdivision smaller than a state such as a street address, city, county and zip code
Dates such as birth date, admission date, discharge date, and death date
Telephone and fax numbers
Email and web address
Social security number
Medical record number
Health plan number or account numbers
Certificate or license numbers
Vehicle id numbers or license numbers
Full-face photographic images
Finger or voiceprints
Names of relatives
HIPPA requires that the caregiver protect PHI identifiers as well as use the minimum use requirement. Minimum use states that caregivers only use the minimum amount of information needed to provide care.
There are a few rules that can help the caregiver comply with HIPPA rules:
Do not discuss your clients with friends, family, or other clients.
Focus your conversation only on the client you are with.
Before your visit, know who is authorized to receive private information regarding your client's condition or treatment.
Keep client records closed and protected.
Properly dispose of PHI in the agency shredder

It is crucial that the caregiver follow HIPPA rules and guidelines to not only protect their client bt to protect the caregiver as well. HIPPA violations can result in disciplinary action or termination from employment. In addition the caregiver can be subject to civil or criminal charges by the government.