Simplifying HIPAA Compliance for the Medical Practice

As HIPAA compliance is no longer a new requirement, most medical practices have still not worked out a system that will enable them to check in patients and to know that the information is only available to those in the practice that need it. The main reason - nobody is enforcing HIPAA compliance. While it is essential that your office complies with HIPAA policies, guidelines and regulations - after all, there are still cases in which your patients could be discriminated against based on a health condition if the information were to be leaked and a need to protect your patients from being targeted by medical marketers - there are a number of physicians (and office staff) who miss having a patient sign in sheet. HIPAA compliance should not mean that your medical practice should be inconvenienced; it simply means that you need to be able to take steps that will allow you to streamline your practice and follow the rules. With a Medical Check In system, you will find that you are able to simplify HIPAA compliance and to streamline the check in process for your practice. With a Medical Check In system developed after HIPAA went into effect, you will be able to know that your patients are able to enter their information securely into a touch screen system. This will allow you to know that you are able to get your patients' names and to track their arrival times. However, the system allows you to do more as well. When you make the choice to use a Medical Check In system in your practice, you will also be able to:

• Ensure that if you have a multi-physician practice, it's clear which doctor the patient came in to the office to see.
• Allow patients who are signing themselves in to identify the reason why they've come into the office - whether it's for routine tests, a complete physical, a follow up or a general consultation.
• Know that the office staff will be able to know which patients have arrived.
• Keep track of the average length of appointment or to determine whether there should be more or less time devoted to physicals on certain days of the week.
• Focus on preparing accurate reports when the time comes to bill for your services.
• Maintain the security of each patient's information.

HIPAA compliance is an essential part of running a medical practice, but that doesn't mean that focusing on following the rules needs to slow down your business or overwhelm your staff. With the right systems in place, you will find that you are able to comply with HIPAA regulations and to have all of the information that you need to keep your practice running smoothly - and to know that the information that you have is more accurate than that from a patient sign in sheet. In other words, what you will find is that HIPAA compliance, in some cases, makes it even easier to run your medical practice.