Health Information Management

How should we verify identity during a phone request to change a password?

HIPAA Weekly Advisor, July 31, 2006

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Develop a policy and procedure that include types of identifying information the individual must provide during a phone request (e.g., birth date, Social Security number, NPI, unique physician identification number, or home address). Select two or three (the more, the better) types of identifying information the caller must provide before you reset the password.

Maintain this information in a place or on a computer system that is easily accessible to the person responsible for resetting passwords. Also, inform all users of the policy and of the identifying information necessary for password resets. If the caller cannot provide the information, do not reset the password until the caller can identify him- or herself in person.

Editor's note: Chris Apgar, president of Portland, OR-based Apgar & Associates, LLC, answered this question. This is not legal advice. Consult your attorney for legal matters.



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