HIPAA Privacy Code For Grief Coaching

The health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA) provides protection and privacy rights to consumers for their health information. It provides control over the use of health information by the healthcare giver. It is of prime importance to ensure patient information privacy and maintain his trust in the healthcare professional. This protection is essential when information is sensitive. It also recognizes the situation in which the healthcare givers need to share the information with patients' families and other healthcare providers to get the maximum benefit of the treatment. (1)

Greif coach provides individualized, attainable goals for their clients rather than giving them unreachable ones. A grief coach assists his clients in setting their objectives, processing their emotions, and moving on in their life. Some people choose to grieve on their own. Others find it useful to work with a grief coach to guide them through the process. HIPAA provides some guidelines for mental health conditions. Healthcare givers, including grief coaches, can assist their patients by helping them achieve their treatment targets and communicating with patients' families to overcome the stressful grieving conditions and help them to overcome.

Counseling and grief coaching fall in the mental health category and thus are subject to HIPAA requirements. It is always important to keep safe patient health information under HIPAA rules. If coaching is not done under a proper healthcare facility, it is not covered by the health insurance portability and accountability Act (HIPAA). (2)

Condition in which a mental healthcare provider (Greif Coach) can share information:

The situation in which HIPAA allows the healthcare provider to discuss health information with family members includes when someone is present with the patient during an appointment or when it is important to mention emergency warning signs to the patient's family.

Importance of HIPAA for healthcare providers:

The main aim or purpose of HIPAA is to protect an individual's or patient's privacy. Still, at some point in the treatment, it becomes necessary for the therapist to involve someone from the patient's family or from a law enforcement agency, or some other healthcare provider when it is highly required. Here comes the use of HIPAA, which enables healthcare providers to share information. HIPAA protects not only the patients but the counselor or coach as well.

The uniqueness of HIPAA in the mental health field:

HIPAA requirements for mental health differ from the standard health care systems. One of the most important aspects of HIPAA in the mental health field is that it allows the therapist to decide when and how the information needs to be shared. It's all done for the betterment of the individual, for instance, to reduce the risk of suicide or to prevent the patient from harming the other person. (3)

If someone experiences some mental health issue or is sad or grieving due to some loss, they might get help from grief coaching, which comes under the mental health field. HIPAA is there to protect their private information and helps to stay connected with their family and friends who are undergoing grief or other stressful situations. (4)

REFERENCES:

• HIPAA Privacy Rule and Sharing Information Related to Mental Health Background. (n.d.). https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/hipaa-privacy-rule-and-sharing-info-related-to-mental-health.pdf

• Roberts, K. (2018, November 13). HIPAA Compliance for Counseling & Coaching Services. Atlantic.net. https://www.atlantic.net/hipaa-compliant-hosting/hipaa-compliance-for-counseling-coaching-services/

• HIPAA for Mental Health Professionals: The Basics. (2019, July 10). Goodtherapy.org. https://www.goodtherapy.org/for-professionals/software-technology/hipaa-security/article/hipaa-for-mental-health-professionals-the-basics

• Office. (2017, December 19). Information Related to Mental and Behavioral Health. HHS.gov. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/mental-health/index.html