Fax Transmissions

POLICY NO : 6065

EFFECTIVE DATE: 03/17/03

Facsimile Transmissions Policy

NOTE: These guidelines are provided to assist UNMC workforce, including those in the patient treatment areas of the Munroe-Meyer Institute, the College of Medicine Optical Shop, the Lions Eye Bank and the College of Dentistry, as applicable, comply with HIPAA regulations. Those departments and clinics which fall under the jurisdiction of The Nebraska Medical Center and/or University Medical Associates should consult the policies and procedures of those entities for authoritative guidance.

Basis for Policy

It is the policy of University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) to protect confidentiality and privacy through appropriate use of information gathered in the course of employment or other affiliation with UNMC or entrusted to UNMC for academic, research, patient care, or administrative purposes.

Policy

In accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), Executive Memorandum No. 27, and UNMC Policy No. 6045, Privacy, Confidentiality and Information Security, and UNMC Policy No. 6057, Use and Disclosure of Protected Health Information, workforce shall use facsimile (fax) transmissions in a manner that will safeguard private and confidential information to the extent possible.

Department administration shall determine what information entrusted to their department is private and/or confidential and shall communicate methods of protecting that information from acquisition through destruction to appropriate persons associated with their department. UNMC workforce and business associates with access to private and/or confidential information will be held accountable for maintaining confidentiality.

Definitions

Privacy is defined as the right of individuals to keep information about themselves from being disclosed.

Protected Health Information (PHI) is individually identifiable health information. Health information means any information, whether oral or recorded in any medium, that:

• is created or received by UNMC; and
• relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition of an individual; the provision of health care to an individual; or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual.

Records containing PHI, in any form, are the property of UNMC. The PHI contained in the record is the property of the individual who is the subject of the record.

Protected health information excludes education records covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and employment records held by UNMC in its role as employer.

Workforce refers to faculty, staff, volunteers, trainees, students, independent contractors and other persons whose conduct, in the performance of work for UNMC, is under the direct control of UNMC, whether or not they are paid by UNMC.

For more information, contact Sharon Welna, Security Officer, or see Facsimile Transmission Procedures.

Template for Fax Cover Letter / Facsimile Transmission Procedures

This is a new UNMC Policy.

This page updated on Tuesday, August 26, 2003, by dkp.