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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Indian Health Manual

Part 8, Chapter 23: Manual Exhibit 8-23-A

Health Information Exchange Terms and Conditions


ALL Users of the Indian Health Service (IHS) Health Information Exchange (HIE) must agree to the following Terms and Conditions for participation:

  1. You are accessing the IHS HIE, a United States (U.S.) Government information system that contains sensitive patient health related information.  This system includes (1) this computer, (2) related hardware, (3) software, (4) all computers connected to this network, (5) network services (including internet access), and (6) all devices and storage media attached to this network or to a computer on this network.  This information system is provided for the use of authorized IHS HIE users only.
  2. All patient information viewed through the IHS HIE is strictly confidential and is subject to the protection of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and is subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 United States Code § 552a) and the security regulations promulgated pursuant to HIPAA.
  3. You may choose to print, save, or download information from your IHS HIE account to upload to the patients' medical record. You are advised to take actions to protect your patients' health information. When downloading and/or saving Protected Health Information/Personally Identifiable Information (PHI/PII) make sure action is performed on work computers only where the environment is secure and its hard-drive or other storage media is encrypted to HIPAA standards. Storage of the data must comply with applicable Federal law, Federal regulations, including HIPAA, and organizational security, privacy and Health Information Management (HIM) policies.
  4. Any computer used to access IHS HIE must have hard drive and other storage media encrypted to HIPAA standards.  Make sure IHS HIE is accessed on work computers only where the environment is secure and its hard-drive is encrypted to HIPAA standards.  Downloading and/or saving a Continuity of Care Document creates a file on this computer that other people may be able to see.  Use caution if you are using a shared computer.
  5. THERE IS NO RIGHT OF PRIVACY IN THIS SYSTEM.  Activities performed within the IHS HIE may be monitored, recorded, captured, and disclosed in any manner, by authorized personnel to facilitate protection against unauthorized access and to verify security procedures and operational security.  Any unauthorized or improper use of the system and contained information is prohibited and subject to criminal and civil penalties, and revocation of IHS HIE access.
  6. By accessing the IHS HIE, you consent to the IHS HIE Terms and Conditions defined herein and in all applicable IHS HIE policies and procedures, and verify that you are authorized to access the IHS HOE using the unique user ID assigned to you.