January 5, 2005
Privacy Certification for Business Associates Program Awards Certification to American Healthways
Certification is eighth awarded to date; standards designed to help firms demonstrate that they keep confidential information safe, secure
WASHINGTON— The Privacy Certification for Business Associates (PCBA) program today announced that it has awarded certification to American Healthways, which provides services to more than 1.4 million Americans, making it the nation’s largest disease management vendor. The PCBA program was established in 2003 by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the nation’s leading advocates for quality in health care. PCBA certification is an indication that an organization has rigorous protections in place to prevent the unintentional release of protected health information, an important concern in light of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requirements.
“Protecting the privacy of the people we serve is central to our mission,” said James E. Pope, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, American Healthways. “Establishing trust between our nurses and the members in our programs is essential to a good, therapeutic relationship. Earning PCBA certification shows that at American Healthways, a person’s confidential information stays private.”
The certification program is designed to assess whether organizations referred to as “business associates” under HIPAA, such as disease management vendors, software vendors and benefit management firms, sufficiently safeguard personal health information. HIPAA requires that “covered entities,” such as health plans and hospitals, perform due diligence and obtain satisfactory assurances that their business associates are appropriately protecting private health care information. Working with PCBA-certified entities satisfies this requirement.
“Maintaining confidentiality isn’t just a serious legal issue,” explained William Tulloch, director, PCBA. “It’s good business. Hospitals and health plans are looking for vendors that aren’t going to accidentally release people’s medical information. By stepping forward and earning PCBA Certification, American Healthways has identified itself as a real leader in the field.”
American Healthways’ certification indicates that the company has met rigorous standards related to protecting oral, written and electronic health information. Certification is also based on a review of processes and practices regarding the use, disclosure and secure storage of personal health information. Among the required processes and practices are extensive employee training in protecting personal health information and allowing consumers access to their own health information. The program also requires that contracts between covered entities and their business associates to spell out privacy-related responsibilities.
For more information, please contact:
Joint Commission – Charlene D. Hill (630-792-5175)
NCQA – Brian Schilling (202-955-5104)
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Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 16,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 8,000 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and manages the evolution of HEDIS®, the performance measurement tool used by more than 90 percent of the nation's health plans. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web and the media in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.