HIPAA Compliance & Patient-Physician Relationship Management

Position Paper - Patient and Public Relationships: Policy Statement From the American College of Physicians and the Federation of State Medical Boards
User-created content and communications on Web-based applications, such as networking sites, media sharing sites, or blog platforms, have dramatically increased in popularity over the past several years, but there has been little policy or guidance on the best practices to inform standards for the professional conduct of physicians in the digital environment. Areas of specific concern include the use of such media for nonclinical purposes, implications for confidentiality, the use of social media in patient education, and how all of this affects the public’s trust in physicians as patient–physician interactions extend into the digital environment. Opportunities afforded by online applications represent a new frontier in medicine as physicians and patients become more connected. This position paper from the American College of Physicians and the Federation of State Medical Boards examines and provides recommendations about the influence of social media on the patient–physician relationship, the role of these media in public perception of physician behaviors, and strategies for physician–physician communication that preserve confidentiality while best using these technologies.


HIPAA, which stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a collection of federal laws and regulations that was passed in 1996, and has wide ranging impacts for healthcare providers, health plans, and businesses related to the healthcare industry. HIPAA is administered by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. These laws can be broken down into three categories of Rules: Transaction Rule, Security Rule and Privacy Rule. Failure to comply with HIPAA regulations can result in severe financial penalties, as well as criminal charges and jail time. Read more

Download and use these forms to stay HIPAA compliant

Acknowledgment of Receipt of Notice Of Privacy Practices

HIPAA Authorization for Release of Patient Records

Business Associate Agreement

General Policy Issues – Privacy of Patient Information

Notice of Privacy Practices

Psychotherapy Authorization for Release of Patient Records

HIPAA Medical Records Release Log

HIPAA Order Processing Form

HIPAA Training

Release-Disposition Form

Waiting Room Copy Face Sheet