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Privacy Policy

We will not obtain personally identifying information about you when you visit our site unless you choose to provide such information.

We will make every attempt to protect the personal information that you share with us, but electronic mail is not secure against interception. If your communication is very sensitive or includes personal information such as your social security number or medical history, you may want to send it by postal mail instead.

The information you send through e-mail may be shared with other Networks, CMS or Medicare if applicable and with your permission. It will not be shared with any other third parties.

Your information will be used for such purposes as described at the point of collection.

We follow the same policy as the Forum of End Stage Renal Disease Networks: http://www.esrdncc.org/

Patient Confidentiality and HIPAA Guidelines

March 24, 2008

IMPORTANT SECURITY MEMO 

Attention all ESRD Network 13 Facility Personnel

As facilities begin using email for communications, the Network has seen an increase in the number of emails that we receive which contain confidential patient specific information.  Please be advised that Email correspondence to the Network IS NOT SECURE, and does not meet the guidelines established by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for transmission of identifying or protected health information (PHI). Per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), this is classified as a security incident, and must be reported to CMS by the Network office. 

In the future, per CMS guidelines, if we receive PHI on any patient via email, this breech will be reported to the sender and the facility administrator via email, and to CMS through the use of the CMS Quality Log of Incident Handling Actions.  An investigation will be done by a designated CMS QualityNet (Qnet) security staff member.  Depending on the type and severity of the incident, internal grievance procedures and/or external agencies will be notified as required by law.  Upon receipt of your copy of this log, it is your facility’s responsibility to notify your organization’s HIPAA compliance officer, and to follow the guidelines established by your institution to comply with the HIPAA mandates. 

Please note that you can use QualityNet as a CMS-approved method of submitting patient specific information to the Network.  If your facility does not already have a QualityNet user account, and would like to have one, contact Nellie Hedrick at 405-948-2253 or email: nhedrick@nw13.esrd.net.  She will be able to assist you to set up a user account so that you can use the Internet to submit information to the Network. 

Get a copy of QNET Registration form - Complete Pages 5 and 6, and mail the original to Network 13 address below:

ESRD Network 13
Attention: Nellie Hedrick
4200 Premeter Center Drive Suite 102
OKlahoma City, OK 73112-2314