HIPPA?

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Hi everyone.

I'm a new LPN working in LTC. I'm curious whether it's legal and acceptable to access EHR and patient charts from my laptop at home. I think as a new nurse it would be valuable for me to be able to study my patient's medical info more at leisure, vs during 3 minutes of down-time or in the middle of a med-pass. That was such a valuable aspect of my clinical experience while a student-- to be able during the generally more lengthy down-time points to study charts and conditions and labs, try and tie them all together and paint a picture. It'd be great to have and study all that info now, about people I actually know and take care of every day. However, now I'm afraid to try and login when I'm not on the clock, on an assignment, etc. Anyone have any insght on this? I live in NY!

Thanks.

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First you have to find out if your facility is a HIPPA covered entity, more than likely it is but (especially since it is using an EHR) but not always.

What you propose is essentially covered under HIPPA, you are a member of the healthcare team and you want to access private information to care for the patient.

Where you will likely fall flat is that there are electronic data security requirements as a part of HIPPA, you cannot access private EHR records from any old device on any old internet connection. Essentially you would need a VPN or other secured access point along with a controlled laptop that meets the security requirements.

Ask your facility, if they provide you the resources like a company computer or at least a secure company portal and VPN access then maybe. I highly doubt you will be successful but maybe.

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

It's HIPAA and I sincerely doubt it. I would hope all of our medical information is better protected than for employees to be able to access it on their own devices "at their leisure" If it's that easy to access, it would be a simple matter for it to be misappropriated for all manner of nefarious purposes.

There's a reason HIPAA exists and I'm pretty sure what you're asking will not be possible. If you were required to use an off-site laptop as part of your duties, your employer would provide one with special access as Asystole mentioned.

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.

It's HIPAA and I would think that's a big NO. Once you leave the facility, they are no longer your patient; they could die, be transferred out, be abducted by aliens... Study meds and conditions and associated labs all you want, but I wouldn't think you can access the medical record from home.

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My way to remember it's HIPAA not HIPPA is the AA ending.

HIPAA drives me to drink causing me to go to AA meetings.

I appreciate your wanting to get better insight and understanding of your patients. Can you simply pick a disease or condition or medications a patient has then study up on it at home?

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Most likely not. Access is on a "need to know" basis. Your home computer will not be secure. If you are home you are not providing care and will not have a reasonable need to be accessing patient information.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Wasn’t there a recent post from an ICU nurse who got fired for looking up an ED or OR pt who was going to be her pt, but died? And then she looked again to see what happened?

I wouldn’t touch their records with a 10-ft pole — unless as others have mentioned, you have a secured/encrypted/HIPAA-vetted/facility issued device.

However you could read up on residents’ diagnoses and meds and therapies till your heart’s content.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I access charts all the time from home to do chart audits. I have to go through double verification procedures to access hospital intranet. I have permission from the hospital (as others do) to this access. I certainly wouldn't do it to check on my assignment for the day.

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HIPAA HIPAA HIPAA HIPAA HIPAA HIPAA HIPAA HIPAA HIPAA HIPAA HIPAA

Sorry, self induced trance there.

NO, I would not do what you are proposing.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Once you are off-shift and not caring for that patient, your need-to-know has ended. A better approach would be to make a generic note like "look up causes of chylothorax" and use that to direct your leisure studies.

I sometimes work from home doing chart review for infection surveillance, and it does require permission and multiple levels of authentication.

And yes, HIPAA — not HIPPA. ?

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Moved to the HIPAA forum. ?

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
On 4/16/2019 at 11:48 AM, hara1112 said:

Hi everyone.

I'm a new LPN working in LTC. I'm curious whether it's legal and acceptable to access EHR and patient charts from my laptop at home. I think as a new nurse it would be valuable for me to be able to study my patient's medical info more at leisure, vs during 3 minutes of down-time or in the middle of a med-pass. That was such a valuable aspect of my clinical experience while a student-- to be able during the generally more lengthy down-time points to study charts and conditions and labs, try and tie them all together and paint a picture. It'd be great to have and study all that info now, about people I actually know and take care of every day. However, now I'm afraid to try and login when I'm not on the clock, on an assignment, etc. Anyone have any insght on this? I live in NY!

Thanks.

First, it isn't HIPPA. It's HIPAA.

Second, it would be a violation to access a patient's medical records from your laptop at home. I hope it would also be impossible. I wouldn't want some random nurse accessing my medical records from home as a learning opportunity.

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