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CLEAR Temp: 59 °F Wind: NE at 6 mph Monday, May 19, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 13, 2003 Complying with information law proves costly By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Paper shredders have been popping up in Rogue Valley medical offices this spring as physicians prepared for new medical privacy laws that take effect Monday. Dr. David Trask’s office added six new paper shredders — one for each work station, said office manager Carmen Borovac. "We shred any notes that we may take on a patient’s condition," Borovac said. "We shred anything with a patient’s name on it. Photocopies that don’t quite come out right get shredded immediately instead of crumpled and tossed into the trash can." The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requires medical offices to protect the confidentiality of patient records. To learn the law, most medical employees attended at least one training session. Borovac’s office staff attended a two-day conference, several half-day sessions and group sessions to learn how to put the law to work in their office. Borovac and her colleagues had to rethink the process for handling patient charts because the charts sometimes lay on a counter where they could be seen by non-medical personnel. They bought an oak file holder that hides patient files from other patients. "Now the patient’s name label can’t be seen," she said. They also bought a new filing cabinet solely for medical-privacy documents. "Basically there’s a lot more paperwork on our end," Borovac said. "It’s more cumbersome, administratively," she said. "There is more paperwork in terms of complying with government regulations. It all takes employee time — which takes away time from patient care." Borovac said office computers were reconfigured to reduce access to patient information. Each work station had to be password-protected. Workers can use only the parts of the computer programs that they need to do their work. Borovac said the privacy law reflects a long trend toward increasing complexity in health care administration. "I’ve been in this business 35 years," she said. "The paperwork has grown voluminously. Everything’s supposed to get simpler, but it’s only getting more complex." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S