Edwards County Hospital & Healthcare Center


Uniting Care & Compassion

                           Compliance/Confidentiality

                      Agreement & Acknowledgement

 

As used herein, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

1.         Confidential Information” includes any information, regardless of the manner

            in which is communicated or maintained, created or received by Edwards County

            Hospital that falls into one or more of the following categories:

 

            Protected Health Information:  Information relating 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.  Protected Health Information includes

            demographic information, e.g., address, telephone number, employer, date of

            birth, next of kin, identification numbers.

 

            Business Operations Information:  Information relating to Edwards  County

            Hospital’s business operations, including but not limited to financial and

            statistical records, strategic plans, internal reports, memos, contracts, pricing,

            staffing levels supplier information, remote site information, peer review

            information, communications, proprietary computer programs, source code, and

            proprietary technology.

 

            Third Party Information:  Information belonging to a third party utilized by

            Edwards County Hospital for limited purposes pursuant to an agreement with

            the third party, including but not limited to computer programs, client and vendor

            proprietary information source code, and proprietary technology.

 

2.         “Use” means, with respect to Confidential Information, accessing, reviewing,

            employing, applying, utilizing, examining, or analyzing such information, or

            sharing or discussing such information with other members of Edwards County

            Hospital’s workforce.

 

3.         “Disclose” means, with respect to confidential information, release, transfer,

            provision of access to, or divulging in any other manner such information to a

            person or entity who is not a member of Edwards County Hospital’s workforce

 

4.         “Computer Systems” includes computer files, computer hard drives, local area

            network, wide area network, mainframe, electronic mail, internet access, intranet

            access, electronic medical records, and electronic order entry.

 

In performing your job duties, you may receive or create Confidential Information.  As a condition of and in consideration of your receipt of Confidential Information, you agree to the following:

 

1.         You understand that you have no right or ownership interest in any Confidential

            Information which you may receive.  Edwards County Hospital may, at any time

            and for any reason, revoke your password, access code, or any other

            authorization you have that allows you to receive Confidential Information in any

            form.  You understand that your obligations under this Agreement will continue

            after termination of your relationship (employment or otherwise) with Edwards

            County Hospital.  You understand that your privileges hereunder are subject

            to periodic review, revision, and if appropriate, renewal.

 

2.         You shall use and disclose Confidential Information only to the extent necessary

            to perform your assigned job duties.  Such use and disclosure shall be in a

            manner consistent with applicable policies and procedures.  Your use or

            disclosure of Confidential Information for any reason other than the

            performance of your assigned job duties or your failure to conform to applicable

            policies and procedures shall constitute misuse of Confidential Information.

            You understand that any misuse of Confidential Information may be grounds for

            discipline (up to and including termination of your employment or other

            relationship with Edwards County Hospital)  and/or the initiation of legal action

            against you.

  

3.         Edwards County Hospital is committed to protecting the privacy of those persons

            for whom it provides services.  To fulfill its commitment, Edwards County

            Hospital prohibits members of its workforce from disclosing protected health

            information to any person except as needed to perform your specific job duties.

            You shall not engage in casual conversations concerning the fact that a person is

            or has been a patient of Edwards County Hospital or concerning any information

            relating to such persons, e.g., diagnosis, procedures, outcome, payment.

 

4.         If you have any question concerning whether your assigned job duties permit you

            to use or disclose certain Confidential Information in a particular manner, you

            shall bring the matter to your supervisor for direction.  If you have any question

            concerning the application of a particular policy or procedure to a particular use

             or disclosure of Confidential Information, you shall bring the matter to your

            your supervisor for direction.

 

5.         You shall appropriately safeguard Confidential Information so as to prevent any

            inappropriate use or disclosure of such information.  If you have reason to believe

            the confidentiality of information may have been compromised, you shall report

            such concerns to your supervisor as soon as possible.

 

6.         In performing your job responsibilities, you shall not knowingly include or cause

            to be included in any record or report a false, inaccurate, or misleading entry. 

            Nor shall you make or cause to be made any false, inaccurate, or misleading

            statement to any person.  If you become aware of false, inaccurate, or misleading

            information contained in any record or report, or a false, inaccurate, or misleading

            statement, you shall report the matter to your supervisor and cooperate in taking

            all steps necessary to correct the record, report, or statement pursuant to Edwards

            County Hospital’s policies procedures.

 

7.         You shall comply with Edwards County Hospital’s policies and procedures

            concerning the alteration, deletion, or destruction of Confidential Information in

            any form.  If you have any question concerning such policies and procedures,

            you shall bring the matter to your supervisor for direction.  If you have any

            reason to believe such policies and procedures have been violated, you shall 
            report such concerns to your supervisor as soon as possible.

 

8.         You understand that Edwards County Hospital may monitor each and every time

            its computer systems are accessed.  You understand that any action you take in

            these computer systems may be tagged with your unique identifier as established

            in your user profile, and such actions may be traced back to you.

 

9.         You shall safeguard and shall not disclose to any person your computer password,

            access code, or any other authorization you have that allows you to access

            Edwards County Hospital’s computer systems.  You shall be responsible for all

            activities undertaken using your password, access code, and other authorization,

            and you shall be responsible for any misuse or wrongful disclosure of

            Confidential Information resulting from the use of your password, access code, or

            authorization.  You shall not utilize any other person’s computer password,

            access code, or any other authentication to access any computer system.  If you

            have reason to believe the security of your computer password, access code, or

            any authorization you have that allows you to access to Edwards County

            Hospital’s computer systems has been compromised, you shall report such concerns 
            to your supervisor as soon as possible.

 

10.       You shall respect the ownership of proprietary software.  For example, you shall

            not make unauthorized copies of any software for your own use, even if the

            software is not physically protected against copying, nor shall you operate

            any non-licensed software on any computer provided by Edwards County

            Hospital.

Web Hosting Companies