Texas Children’s Code of Ethical Behavior requires all workforce members to maintain confidentiality. One of the most basic but important ways we can protect confidential and proprietary information is to destroy and dispose of materials containing such information in a secure manner.
The following is meant to answer the most common questions concerning disposal of confidential information.
What is confidential information?
Confidential information is intended strictly for use within and between Texas Children’s entities, medical staff, and authorized third parties. Examples include:
Protected Health Information
Parent/guardian/employee financial information
Employee personnel files, including payroll information
Business strategies and quality assurance documentation
Clinical research documentation
What is proprietary information?
Proprietary information refers to information that is not necessarily considered confidential, but is intended for use within Texas Children’s, unless otherwise authorized for distribution. Examples include:
Texas Children’s policies and procedures
Financial information
Business plans
Supplier information
Information systems
How do I properly dispose of confidential or proprietary information?
Shredding bins
Paper documents (e.g. After Visit Summaries, patient folders used in clinical areas) containing confidential or proprietary information must be disposed of in designated locked shredding bins located throughout the organization. These bins are securely emptied on a regular schedule by our outside vendor. At a minimum, these documents must be disposed of daily. However, best practices are to immediately dispose of documents containing sensitive information. It is never appropriate to place papers meant for shredding in an unsecured “holding bin.”
Media bins
Media items containing confidential or proprietary information must be disposed of in designated locked media bins located throughout the organization. Examples include USB thumb drives, disks, tapes, CDs/DVD’s, and VHS tapes.
For additional information and assistance, including requesting a shredding or media bin for your area, contact Records Management at ext. 4-2054.
Key takeaway
Any document containing sensitive information must be disposed of in a locked shredding bin. Never throw away documents containing confidential or proprietary information in a regular trash can, dumpster, recycling bin or other non-secure receptacle. These are not secure disposal methods.
If you any questions, please contact Compliance and Privacy (ext. 4-2085 or compliance@texaschildrens.org).