The HIPAA Compliant Guide for Responding to Patient Reviews [PDF Download]

Introduction

Working in the Medical Industry, you are committed to uphold the regulations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). What you may not know is that HIPAA applies when responding to patient reviews online. Not to worry though, we have you covered. After reading this guide, you will understand what to do and what not to do when responding to patient reviews, how to write HIPAA compliant responses, and how to handle a negative review. This will keep you HIPAA Compliant and keep your patients happy at the same time. Let’s start with a recap.

In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed requiring that all healthcare providers protect patient information and patient data. The goal is to safeguard the private relationship a patient has with their doctor and protect the transfer of their medical documents and information from one place to another. To enforce these regulations, HIPAA violations are sanctioned by law and carry significant monetary penalties. If you would like to learn more about HIPAA and the penalties, see: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/index.html. We also include a summary of penalties on the last page.

Table of Contents:

1. Keep patient information private
2. Take negative issues offline
3. Create a Response Strategy
4. Don’t remove negative reviews
5. Address fake reviews