About the Organization
As an acute-care facility, North Kansas City Hospital (NKCH) employs 550 physicians in 49 medical specialties. The 451-licensed-bed hospital boasts award-winning cardiovascular and orthopedic programs, among other valued services, such as emergency care, neurosciences, and spinal surgery. Through its Meritas Health subsidiary, NKCH offers the area’s largest network of physician practices with more than 280 primary and specialty care doctors and advanced practice providers.
“The customer service is exceptional. CPS has given us a boost to our efficiency, organization and culture of safety.”
- Karen Reynolds, MBA, RHIA, CHPS, director and privacy officer, North Kansas City Hospital Health Information Management
Summary
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What They Needed |
What They Implemented | What They Gained |
| NKCH sought to replace its internal file-share tracking system for HIPAA breaches, privacy reporting, and investigations. | They implemented CompliancePro’s (CPS) program modules for privacy incidents, amendments, and business associate tracking. |
NKCH gained enhanced organization and easily accessible and anonymous reporting that promotes a culture of safety and encourages staff report concerns. |
The Story
Karen Reynolds, MBA, RHIA, CHPS, is the hospital’s director of Health Information Management and Privacy Officer. Prior to her arrival, CPS’s Privacy Incidents, Amendments, and Business Associate (BA) Tracking had replaced the hospital’s cumbersome and outdated file-sharing system to better manage privacy investigations and BA tracking.
Since implementation, Karen has seen the value and rewards CPS modules bring to her organization. “We can better navigate the privacy investigation process in a structured format consistent with OCR guidelines and required breach reporting,” she explained. “The user-friendly tool makes following the complex privacy rules easier to manage.”
Thanks to the program’s tremendous organizational features, Karen and her staff can manage and organize investigation documents in one place, connect with their analytics reporting tool, and interface with the electronic medical record.
“The three systems work collectively to proactively identify, monitor, and investigate privacy concerns that would otherwise not occur. The automation feature has transformed our investigation process.” Karen explained.
“We can better navigate the HIPAA privacy investigation process in an easy format consistent with OCR guidelines and required breach reporting."
- Karen Reynolds
She added that easy integration into existing systems has helped with time management and efficiency, as all privacy investigations and amendment requests can be addressed with one tool. Karen wants to promote a culture of safety where employees and workforce members feel comfortable submitting privacy concerns. She affirmed that the CPS modules “encourage reporting, particularly through anonymity.”
If Karen or her staff need assistance, she knows CPS’s customer support is readily available. “There’s never been a situation where I was unable to reach someone immediately if needed. The customer service is exceptional. CPS has given us a boost to our efficiency, organization, and culture of safety,” Karen added.
