For Community Referring Physicians

PVHMC Record Connect for Community Referring Physicians

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Hospital Medical Center’s (PVHMC) Record Connect is a secure, web-based portal that provides community referring physicians and their staff access to the medical records of PVHMC patients with whom they have an established clinical relationship.

1. Authorization to Access or Obtain Patient Information

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (PVHMC) Associates (clinicians and physicians) may access or obtain protected health information (PHI) only when performing a required clinical or business activity and only if the PHI accessed or obtained is necessary to perform that activity. Seeking or obtaining PHI out of curiosity, for malicious purposes or for financial or personal gain is prohibited under Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center policy and under federal and state law.

PVHMC’s implementation of Record Connect further heightens our need to safeguard electronic PHI and the organization's policies in relation to privacy, confidentiality and information security.

2. Acceptable Use of PVHMC Record Connect

Physician office and facility staff members may access patient records via PVHMC Record Connect when:

· Performing work related to the physician of record for the patient

· Conducting treatment or operations-related work

· Required for billing purposes

Employees and contractors (e.g., billing companies) working for physician offices, please note:

· You may not, under any circumstances, use a physician's or medical staff member's ID or password. If you as an employee or contractor of the physician office have a legitimate business need to access patient records in PVHMC clinical applications, you may be granted your own user ID and password, provided your need for access can be demonstrated to PVHMC.

· As a physician office employee or contractor, you may access patient information in PVHMC clinical applications to assist the physician with treatment or to facilitate billing for the physician's services, but for no other reason.

· As a physician office employee or contractor, if you fail to appropriately use your access to PVHMC clinical applications, you may be denied access permanently.

3. Access and Auditing

The PVHMC Record Connect system provides audit reports, which are recorded and monitored by the corporate compliance privacy officer and health information director. System activity is reviewed to determine appropriateness of access. These records are also subject to outside audit by regulatory agencies.

Employees and contractors of physician offices should seek guidance when questions about appropriate access arise. Access to PVHMC clinical applications is a privilege that relates to one's job function and role. Access that does not relate to one's job role or that does not fall under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) scope of authorized access for treatment, payment or operations on behalf of the covered entity (physician office) may constitute an unauthorized access or privacy breach reportable to federal and state authorities.

4. Appropriate PVHMC Record Connect Access

Maintaining the security and confidentiality of our patients' health information is paramount within PVHMC. Established procedures and defined access controls support our goal of securing patient information, which is aligned with security requirements for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.

It is vital that any clinical applications login be used appropriately and in accordance with licensing requirements and Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center security policy and procedures. Responsible access includes seeking management direction and guidance should questions arise about appropriate access. Every PVHMC Record Connect account user has an obligation to comply with these security requirements.

Appropriate access includes:

· Protecting your login ID, password and not sharing it with others

· Signing on to the PVHMC Record Connect application with your own authorized login ID and logging out of the clinical system when no longer in use to maintain control of the use of your individual login credentials

· Viewing and accessing patient information for job-related purposes only

· Notifying Record Connect Customer Services at (add contact info) any time changes in access become necessary for you or any of your office staff to ensure individual accountability

Reporting any misuse, known or suspected, of the PVHMC Record Connect application.