You may work with confidential patient data in this role at Aetna. Tell me about a time you followed HIPAA regulations even when it wasn't easy or convenient to do so.
The HIPAA privacy laws are paramount in the health insurance industry. The amount of patient data you may have access to as a staff member at Aetna is overwhelming. In asking this question, your interviewer wants to hear about your experience handling confidential patient data with the highest integrity.
"While faxing over some patient data to a clinic a couple of years ago, I didn't get a confirmation back. I checked the fax number, and it was not correct and went to the wrong location. I could have just walked away and gone back to my desk, but not knowing who was on the receiving end of that data, I had to report the incident. I felt awful about it, but it was quickly resolved, and if I had said nothing, it could have escalated into a huge fine for the company. Plus, I'm an honest person, so I had to tell the truth."
"My neighbor got into a car accident a few weeks ago and told me that some of her claims had been denied. She begged me to go to work to see what I could find out. I had to tell her there was no way I could do that. It was a huge HIPAA violation. I told her to call our call center and ask for Lynn, who I knew could help her. I felt bad that she put me in that position, but good I could give her a person to call who could hopefully address her concerns."
First, discuss the roles that exposed you to confidential patient information and HIPAA laws. Show your understanding of the rules while displaying your integrity in upholding them in those roles. Don't hesitate to discuss any formal HIPAA education training you've received in the past. If you don't have direct experience with HIPAA and patient confidentiality, reiterate your understanding of their importance at Aetna.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
In my current job, we receive faxes that don't have all the information needed to meet HIPAA guidelines and that in case we have to return the fax to sender, which is slowing down your production to search sometimes 100s of pages to see if all data may be in there somewhere.
Amanda's Feedback
It sounds like this has the potential to be an impactful example. You can strengthen it by providing more insight into your role. Consider sharing what kind of information is being faxed to you and why. You can also share what kind of data you're searching for and how often you end up returning faxes due to a lack of HIPPA compliance.
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