HIPAA News

New Guide Helps Organizations Understand HIPAA and Fundraising

(Aug 12, 2008)-- A new downloadable guide from two of the leading companies in the nonprofit sector aims to assist healthcare organizations thinking about the ramifications of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in fundraising. The HIPAA Effect: Considerations for Fundraising After the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, created by Changing Our World, Inc. and Convio, examines how HIPAA laws have affected fundraising for nonprofit hospitals, foundations, and health organizations.
Since HIPAA was enacted in 2000, professionals working in healthcare philanthropy have discovered that HIPAA has not had a negative impact on fundraising for healthcare professionals. But, although HIPAA has had only minor effects, it remains a concern among fundraisers, according to the guide, which provides an overview from HIPAA's inception to its current status, as well as steps on how to work within the letter of the law to maximize their efforts.

"Development professionals need to be cautious regarding HIPAA regulations but they should not view it as a hindrance," said veteran healthcare fundraiser Roy Temper, Senior Strategist with Changing Our World. "In every case, obstacles present opportunities; HIPAA is no different. Many fundraisers have actually found that seeking patient permission to contact them during the patient registration process has actually provided substantial data, including e-mail address and disease related preferences. However, many development offices and foundations still do not get involved during the patient registration process, which we believe is an opportunity that is missed!"

The guide also offers steps to consider for building and maintaining online databases. "It's important for online fundraising managers to know what they can ask from constituents - and what they can't ask - when building an online donor database," says Garth Moore, Managing Director of Interactive Services for Changing Our World. "Knowing your limitations under HIPAA provides a clearer path to what kind of data you can use to customize the online user experience."

The HIPAA Effect is available from both Changing Our World and Convio at www.changingourworld.com/hipaa and http://www.convio.com/hipaa. For more information, please visit www.convio.com

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