Athletic departments lack HIPAA plans

by Laurie Duffy
Staff Writer

Despite an approaching deadline of April 14, 2003, area athletic department officials have not set a definitive policy regarding the privacy standard of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

According to the act, athletics departments will be required to ask anyone receiving care from trainers or team doctors to sign a written release before disclosing individually identifiable health information.

Ohio Director of Athletics Tom Boeh said the department has no set policy regarding HIPAA compliance, but will be meeting with the university’s legal council in the next few weeks.

“We need to have our own people sit down and analyze this,” Boeh said. “I haven’t sat down with General Council (Director of Legal Affairs) John Burns yet, so I’m not prepared to answer questions.”

Ohio Director of Athletic Training John Bowman said the National Athletic Trainers Association has notified its members of the privacy regulations. He expects an increase in paperwork when diagnosing and reporting player injuries.

“Communication about player injuries will have to be tightened up,” he said. “We can’t do generic releases for all injuries. They will have to be specific to that injury.”

High school athletics departments who provide medical treatment to players through athletic trainers or physicians also will have to comply with new regulations.

Ohio High School Athletic Association Assistant Commissioner Deborah Moore said most high schools have not heard about HIPAA.

Alexander High School Athletics Director Larry Herges and Federal Hocking Athletics Director Pat Tabler said they had not heard of HIPAA legislation.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released final revisions to HIPAA on August 14 that will delay a response from OHSAA, Moore said.

One athletics director who has begun making plans for compliance is Athens High School Athletics Director Pat Murtha. He and Assistant Superintendent David McAllister held an informal meeting regarding the law, but they have created no specific compliancy guidelines.

“Our No.1 concern is protecting the kids and their well-being,” Mercer said. “We want to give them a safe environment to be in and protect their privacy at the same time.”