2003/10/28 City Council Resolution (3)RESOLUTION NO. 2003 -255
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROHNERT PARK
OUTLINING THE CITY'S COMPLIANCE WITH THE HEALTH INSURANCE
PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1996 ( HIPAA)
WHEREAS, under new provisions of the federal law known as the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ( HIPAA) that went into effect
April 1, 2003, the City must take additional steps to safeguard employees'
personal health information (PHI); and
WHEREAS, under the new HIPAA regulations, the City must designate a
Privacy Officer; and
WHEREAS, under the law, the City must provide an initial HIPAA Privacy Notice
to all employees, retirees, individuals on continued health insurance under
COBRA and provide this information annually thereafter; and
WHEREAS, the City must provide employees with an authorization form should
they wish to authorize release of their PHI; and
WHEREAS, the City must update health plan summary descriptions, related
forms and documents as required to comply with HIPAA requirements; and
WHEREAS, the City must institute security measures to adequately protect
employees' records containing PHI, whether that information is in hard copy or
electronic form and correct security breaches upon knowledge of same; and
WHEREAS, under the new regulations, the City must have a business
agreement in place with third party administrators of the City's health plans who
would have access to employees' PHI and also provide the party with the City's
Privacy Notice and Authorization to Release PHI Forms; and
WHEREAS, the City must identify job classifications in the City which require
access to employees' PHI as part of their regular job duties, update those job
descriptions to encompass the additional security and confidentiality
requirements and reclassify those particular positions properly to the Confidential
Unit from the Rohnert Park Employees' Association (RPEA); and
WHEREAS, under the law, the City's workers' compensation insurance, life
insurance, long -term disability insurance and pre - employment testing are exempt
from the HIPAA regulations; and
Resolution No. 2003 -255
(Page 2 of 2)
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Rohnert Park City Council that
Steve Donley, Assistant City Manager, is designated as the City's Privacy Officer
and will be working with the relative City departments and third -party
administrators to bring the City into compliance with all HIPAA requirements as
required by law; that the City will complete all phases of compliance by April 1,
2004 as required by law and will amend this resolution and update our policies
and procedures as the law may be require in the future.
DULY AND REGULARLY ADOPTED this 28"' day of October, 2003.
CITY
CITY OF ROHNERT PARK
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