What are HIPAA Fillable Forms?

Introduction 

We know how essential HIPAA compliance is in the healthcare industry. It forms the backbone for securing patient health information and structured patient communication. 

In today’s healthcare landscape, digitizing healthcare administrative operations has become essential for ensuring efficiency, security, and regulatory compliance. The digitization of these operations needs to be following HIPAA regulations as well. 

One way the healthcare industry digitizes its operations is by digitizing the process of patient forms. Digitally fillable HIPAA forms allow practices to send patient forms over email or text. 

What are HIPAA Fillable Forms? 

HIPAA fillable forms are forms that are administered digitally by healthcare practices. These forms can be transmitted digitally through email or text. They are fillable, which means that on receiving the forms, patients would be able to fill and submit them. 

The transmission and submission of these fillable HIPAA forms are usually facilitated with the help of a HIPAA messaging app. They follow all HIPAA regulations and ensure the security of PHI included in the forms. These are sent through secure links that follow end-to-end encryption. 

What Are The Types of HIPAA Fillable Forms?

HIPAA forms can be broadly classified into three categories:

i) Authorization forms 

ii) Consent forms 

iii) Release forms 

Let us  understand what these forms stand for:

HIPAA Fillable Authorization Forms

Patients may need to authorize the disclosure of their protected health information (PHI) to third parties, such as family members, other healthcare providers, or insurance companies. Fillable HIPAA authorization forms allow patients to specify the scope of information to be disclosed and the entities authorized to receive it, while ensuring compliance with HIPAA privacy rules.

HIPAA Fillable Consent Form

Healthcare providers often require patients to sign consent forms for various purposes, such as treatment, medical procedures, and the release of medical records. Fillable HIPAA consent forms enable patients to provide their consent electronically, eliminating the need for paper-based forms and streamlining the consent process.

HIPAA Fillable Release Forms

When patients request copies of their medical records or authorize the release of their PHI to third parties, healthcare providers use fillable HIPAA forms to document these requests and ensure proper handling of sensitive information. Digital forms make it easier to process and track such requests, reducing administrative burden and enhancing efficiency.

Why Send Fillable Patient Forms Through a HIPAA Messaging App?

Digitally sending HIPAA forms for patient intake is facilitated through HIPAA messaging software. A HIPAA messaging software is needed to send fillable HIPAA forms because: 

Sending digital HIPAA forms through HIPAA messaging service is End-to-End encrypted

End-to-end encryption ensures that the message transmitted won’t be intercepted by a third party. With this feature, one can be assured of the protection and security of PHI. The end-to-end encryption feature is enabled by sending a secure link to the patient. When the patient clicks on the link, the encrypted chat will start.

HIPAA messaging apps allow multichannel communication

You can send HIPAA fillable forms either through email or text. This versatility of the software allows practices to reach various patient demographics.

HIPAA messaging apps integrate with EHR

Most HIPAA messaging apps integrate with existing EHRs to seamlessly update the details submitted by the patient on the form. This helps maintain a more comprehensive and up-to-date record of the patient.

HIPAA messaging tool saves cost

Adopting a HIPAA messaging app for sending forms digitally can result in cost savings associated with paper, printing, and postage expenses.

Improved patient engagement and satisfaction

Sending digital HIPAA forms allows patients to fill the form at the convenience of their homes in their own time. Patients no longer need to spend extra time at the practice filling in long forms with pen and paper. This convenience will in turn enhance patient engagement and satisfaction. 

Use Cases of Digital HIPAA Fillable Forms

Fillable digital HIPAA forms can be used in various capacities. 

Fillable HIPAA forms for Patient forms

The most obvious use case of digital forms for the healthcare industry is patient forms. Patient forms can come in various forms such as patient intake forms, patient consent forms, patient registration forms, release forms, etc. 

HIPAA Fillable Forms for Telemedicine Consultation

In the context of telemedicine or virtual healthcare consultations, fillable HIPAA forms can be used to collect patient information, consent for telehealth services, and other relevant data remotely. This allows healthcare providers to deliver care efficiently while maintaining compliance with HIPAA regulations for remote patient encounters.

Digital HIPAA Forms for Research Content

Healthcare organizations can obtain informed consent electronically with the help of HIPAA consent forms. Healthcare organizations conducting surveys and research can utilize HIPAA forms to collect patient details, experiences, and opinions safely and securely. Participation in surveys and research needs informed consent from the patients. 

Digital HIPAA Forms for Billing

Fillable HIPAA forms can also be used for billing and financial purposes, such as collecting patient billing information, insurance claims, and payment authorizations. By digitizing these forms, healthcare organizations can streamline the billing process, reduce errors, and enhance data security while adhering to HIPAA guidelines for the handling of financial and PHI.

Types of HIPAA Fillable Forms for Different Healthcare Industries 

The following fillable HIPAA forms can be used by different healthcare industries: 

Dental HIPAA forms

• Dental treatment consent form
  A dental treatment consent form is a document that is filled out by a patient to give their consent to a specific treatment.
  
• Dental Insurance Narrative Form
  A Dental Insurance Verification Form is a document that dental offices use to collect and verify the insurance details of the patient.
  
• Dental Record Release Form
  A dental records release form is used by patients to authorize the release of their dental records to a dental provider.
  
• Dental Referral Form
  A dental referral form is a document that is used to refer patients for dental treatments from one dental professional to another.
  
• Dental Medical History Form
  A Dental Medical History Form is used to collect data about a patient’s dental and medical background to make informed treatment decisions.
  
• Dental Routing Slip
  A Dental Routing Slip is a document that is used in dental offices to communicate important information regarding a patient’s treatment plan.

Mental Health HIPAA Forms 

• Therapy Consent Form
  A therapy consent form is a document used to secure a client’s consent about the required therapy treatment. 
  
• Medical History Form
  A medical history form is a form used to collect a patient’s medical history. This allows the therapist to create a holistic treatment plan tailored to the patient’s past medical history as well. 
  
• Group Therapy Consent Form
  A group therapy consent form is a document that records the consent of the participants of the group therapy to be participants. 
  
• Assessment Form
  Assessment forms are used to evaluate patients’ mental health status, symptoms, functioning, and risk factors.
  
• Discharge Forms 
  Discharge forms summarize the treatment outcomes, recommendations, referrals, and follow-up plans upon completion of treatment or transition to another level of care. 

Veterinary HIPAA Forms

• Patient Registration Forms
  Collect demographic information, owner contact details, and patient medical history during the initial visit or registration process.
  
• Consent Forms
  Obtain owner consent for veterinary examinations, treatments, surgeries, anesthesia, diagnostic procedures, and other veterinary services.
  
• Medical History Forms
  Capture detailed information about the patient’s medical history, including previous illnesses, medications, vaccinations, surgeries, allergies, and behavioral concerns.
  
• Treatment Consent Forms
  Document owner consent for specific treatment plans, medications, procedures, and surgeries recommended by the veterinarian.
  
• Anesthesia Consent Forms
  Obtain owner consent for administering anesthesia and sedation during surgical procedures, dental cleanings, and other medical interventions.

What are The Legal Aspects of Digital Patient Forms?

To ensure that patient forms sent digitally are HIPAA compliant, the following measures should be taken: 

Secure transmission

To secure digital forms and transmission covered entities such as healthcare providers, health plans, healthcare clearing houses, etc and their business associates need to implement safeguards such as encryption, access control, audit trails, and other security measures.

Business Associate Agreements (BAAs)

Covered entities must enter into written agreements with business associates that have access to PHI, such as electronic forms vendors or messaging app providers. These BAAs outline the business associate’s responsibilities to safeguard PHI and comply with HIPAA requirements, including security, privacy, and breach notification obligations.

Data Retention and Disposal

Covered entities must establish policies and procedures for retaining and disposing of electronic forms and associated PHI in accordance with HIPAA requirements. This includes securely storing digital forms for the required retention period, implementing secure data deletion methods, and ensuring proper disposal of electronic media containing PHI.

State and Federal Regulations

In addition to HIPAA, covered entities must also comply with other relevant state and federal laws governing the privacy and security of health information, such as state privacy laws, the HITECH Act, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) if applicable.

Why is Emitrr The Best Platform to Send, Edit, And Receive Fillable HIPAA Forms?

If you are looking for a solution that will allow you to send patient forms digitally and allow patients to fill it and submit them securely then look no further than Emitrr. 

Emitrr has a repository of medical forms that you can access, download, and edit to tailor to your organization’s needs. You can also send the forms directly from Emitrr’s communication platform in a secure HIPAA-compliant manner. 

Here is how you can send forms through Emitrr securely: 

Step 1: Select the patient to whom you want to send the form from conversations or start a new conversation by navigating to “send” in the top right-hand corner. 

Step 2: Turn on secure chat by selecting “start secure chat” just above the message box

Step 3:  Select the three dots situated underneath the message box and select “Form Request”. Choose the form you wish to send the patient. 

Step 4: Hit send 

Step 5: Once the patient fills out the form and submits it, you can find it under “Forms” on the left navigation panel under the “Requests” section. 

Step 6: You can either view the patient form or download it. 

With Emitrr, you can create your own form from scratch or use an existing template. 

Moreover, Emitrr integrates with over 500+ healthcare softwares making it super easy and efficient to update and keep track of patient data. 

Emitrr has an overall rating of 4.9/5 on Capterra with a stellar 5/5 rating for its customer support. Here is what users have to say about Emitrr: 

(Capterra)

HIPAA Fillable Form FAQs

Conclusion 

Moving to digital forms can benefit both healthcare providers and patients alike. By digitizing the process of collecting, managing, and transmitting patient information, fillable HIPAA forms streamline administrative tasks, enhance workflow efficiency, and improve the patient experience.

These forms enable secure data collection, consent management, and compliance with regulatory requirements, while also promoting convenience, accessibility, and real-time communication between healthcare providers and patients.

HIPAA messaging apps like Emitrr, enable healthcare providers to edit, send and receive these forms securely. If you are ready to adopt digital HIPAA forms at your healthcare practice, schedule a call with Emitrr today!