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In This Issue

As a Medicare sales agent, consumers entrust you with a great deal of their personal information.  HIPAA information is sensitive and should be kept confidential – only to be disclosed as needed, in order to prevent fraud or misuse.  By nature of the business, it’s obvious that some personal information must be exchanged for things like plan enrollment.  This personal data includes Protected Health Information (PHI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

PHI includes:

• Consumer demgraphics
• Health Information on any level

PII includes:

• Social Security Number
• Driver’s license or state ID card
• Credit or Debit card
• Banking information
• Passwords

HIPPA guidelines fall into two broad categories: Privacy and Security.   The Privacy Rule applies to all communication forms – electronic, written, and oral – whereas the Security Rule relates specifically to the management of electronic records.  As a Medicare sales agent, you must comply fully with both the Privacy and Security Rules.

The following tips are steps you can take to help ensure compliance with the HIPAA Privacy and Security rules:

• Be sure to keep paperwork separate and doesn’t try to work on multiple applications at the same time
• Keep all documents with PHI secure and out of view.  Documents with PHI that need to be disposed of should be shredded or placed in a secure, locked location.  This includes, but is not limited to inventory sheets, needs analysis, meeting notes, and applications.
• When sending faxes, use a cover page with a HIPAA disclaimer and verify the recipient’s fax number prior to sending.
• Any electronic device containing confidential information must be encrypted and password protected.
• Ensure you have anti-virus and anti spyware solutions in place in order to protect data on your devices.
• When possible, do not store PHI or PII on mobile devices or flash drives.  Taking a picture with PHI or PII on a cell phone can lead to issues if it’s not properly manged
• Do not share your passwords with anyone and make sure your passwords are strong.
• Never send PHI through unsecured email or internet services
• When sending emails, double-check the recipients to make sure your email client didn’t auto-populate the wrong name.  Sending an email to the wrong person my qualify as a breach, which needs to be reported.

A breach occurs when protected health information is used or disclosed in ways prohibited by the HIPAA Privacy Rule.  If a breach occurs, you are required to notify the Covered Entity for whom you are providing a service within sixty days, and the covered entity must notify the affected individual within 60 days.  Failure to report a breach can result in substantial penalties.

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