...identify problems or patterns that may help determine the course of health care. Doctors can also deliver specific test results in comprehensible formats to their patients using graph and charts in detailed description of patients’ health status and treatment decisions fast and accurately. EMR can minimize errors in medical records caused by human errors such as misspelling and differing in terminologies. It can also keep the records safe when paper records can be lost easily and lost forever due to fire, floods and other catastrophes and disasters. It is a definitely cost effective compared to paper based records. EMR is only a click away and it can be accessed anytime globally, saves storage space and especially environmentally friendly. Technology over the years has dramatically impacted the way we use and handle information. Any paper-based information are now being converted to electronic format and stored in a central location for easy access. An EMR system implementation would significantly reduce clinician workload and medical errors which will also save the US healthcare system major expense. Meanwhile, patient’s medical records have to be more secure in order to switch from paper system to EMR system. Hospitals and medical offices has a huge responsibility to make sure that Information Data security is in compliance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), etc. while transition from paper system...
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...HIPAA- How To Avoid Data Breach? How do data breaches occur? • we suspect our information system has been • targeted and patient information exposed. After one a laptop and other portable device is lost or stolen. • We did a rapid assessment to mitigation of damage and is and define scope of the incident we discovered following facts: – – – – data are not encrypted laptop are not protected by password Information of patients are exposed. No log file exist What are consequences of these breaches ? A data security breach can have devastating consequences for healthcare organizations as well as patients or clients What are our strategies to prevent theses breaches • We must be in compliance with the final HIPAA Omnibus Rule through following : – Administrative safeguards – Physical safeguards – Technical safeguards What is HIPAA? • HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act • It was passed by Congress in 1996 • broadly applicable to the health care industry • intended to address security for both electronic and physical patient records • standardizing electronic exchange of administrative & financial data in health care system • It includes requirements for: • Transfer and continuation of health insurance coverage • Reducing healthcare fraud and waste – The protection and confidential handling of protected health information (PHI) What is a breach? – A breach is an impermissible use or disclosure that compromises the security or privacy of PHI and poses...
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...A Literature Review “Privacy and Health Information Technology” Deborah Jones Dr. Udoh Udom Health Information Systems HAS 520 12/06/10 Introduction The increased use of health information technology (Health IT) is a common element of privacy of medical information. Proponents hope that the increased use of health IT will improve health outcomes for individual patients by facilitating the delivery of evidence-based care and reducing medical errors. Additionally, proponents hope that increasing information sharing among providers will better coordinate care within and across health care settings. Health IT facilitates the creation of a comprehensive health record that can move with an individual over his or her lifetime, in contrast to the fragmented records that exist today. Further, health IT is promoted as a critical tool for improving population health by allowing for the more efficient gathering of data regarding the effectiveness of certain treatments. Finally, health IT is also expected to help decrease health costs by reducing the duplication of services and the delivery of unnecessary or inappropriate care. This paper examines some of the “gaps” in privacy protections that arise out of the current federal health privacy standard, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, the main federal law which governs the use and disclosure of health information. Additionally, it puts forth a range of possible solutions, accompanied by...
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...Lillian Bentley Administrative Ethics Paper HCS/335 June 2, 2014 Professor Beryl Keegan Administrative Ethics It is important that each person working in the health care field knows their role and the functions of their job title. In some cases, employees may be tasked with extra job function, but it is important that they are properly trained for the role they are tasked with, because patient privacy can be at risk. Many times if the employee was not properly trained management can become liable for whatever damage was done. Located in Virginia, Bon Secours a seven-hospital health system recently announced that some 5,000 former patients had their protected health information compromised following an electronic health records data breach. Two members of the patient care team accessed patients' medical records in a "manner that was inconsistent with their job functions and hospitals procedures and inconstant with the training they received regarding appropriate access of patient medical records," according to a notice on the health system's site (Lubell). In this particular case, the employees involved in this incident have been terminated from their positions, and According to system officials, local and federal law enforcement agencies have formed The Peninsula Task Force to work with Bon Secours to thoroughly investigate this matter and to determine if any patient information may have been used illegally. This situation was unfortunate for the employee's involved...
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...Tricare/Data Breach……………………………..4 Stolen medical price/Chart…….……………..5 Hackers Motivation………..……………………..6 Conclusion…………………………………………….7 Reference……………………………………………..8 Abstract Hackers, while this term originally referred to a clever or expert programmer, it is now associated commonly in reference to someone who can gain unlawful access to other computers. A hacker can "hack" his or her way through the security levels of a computer system or network. This can be as simple as figuring out somebody else's password or as complex as writing a custom program to break another computer's security software. Hackers are the reason software manufacturers release periodic "security updates" to their programs. While it is unlikely that the average person will get "hacked," some large businesses and organizations receive multiple hacking attempts a day. In this instance the organization falls under health care, with digital medical records becoming more and more common this allow massive amounts of personal data to become vulnerable to hackers. This paper will cover not only hackers but the motivations of the hackers and ways to help defend and prevent. Medical records have become similar to finding gold during the California gold rush for identity thieves. This is exactly why healthcare provider’s cyber-attacks have become more and more frequent. These data breaches exposes millions of records that are used by cyber criminals for illegal activities. But why is the data in health...
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...Aftab Khan IT120 Cybersecurity Principles Assignment 3 Due by 2pm, October 29 (Thursday) Data breaches happening in healthcare can cause severe damage. This assignment looks at different sets of data submitted to the Department of Human Services whenever a breach affects 500 or more individuals. (https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/breach/breach_report.jsf) You have each been assigned a “filter” to research and assess. For the filer you are assigned, make a report that includes the following information: 1. Describe the web site and the policy/legislation under which the organization is required to report their breaches Department of health and human services, office of civil rights websites, where as required by section 13402(e)(4) of the HITECH Act, the Secretary must post a list of breaches of unsecured protected health information affecting 500 or more individuals. These breaches are now posted in a new, more accessible format that allows users to search and sort the posted breaches. 2. Describe how the organization must file their report. Includes brief summaries of the breach cases that OCR has investigated and closed, as well as the names of private practice providers who have reported breaches of unsecured protected health information to the Secretary. 3. Name of the filter designated. 2015 4. How many breaches did you identify as a result of the filter There are about 223 breaches for 500 or more. 5. Select one result that catches your...
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...DB Post 9/27/2015 Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are becoming a part of the U.S. healthcare transformation because of federal incentive payments. Although the liability risk is increased for physicians, EHRs have multiple benefits and offer opportunities to improve care coordination and standardize clinical documentation. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) is the policy initiative signed into law in 2009 to incentivize health care practitioners on a large scale to implement and utilize EHRs. EHRs have key functionalities designed to enhance health information exchange, reduce errors and liability including clinical decision support systems and computerized order entry systems. A 2008 Harvard public health study of high EHR users versus low EHR users found that litigation risk was reduced. It noted that 5.7 percent of high EHR users had malpractice payouts compared to 12.1 percent of low EHR users. Outlined below are the unique benefits and challenges that the EHR presents for patients and providers. Patients Advantages: * Improvement in the quality of care, medical diagnosis and treatment * Reduction in medical errors impacting patients * Improved delivery of care including faster decision making and care from providers Disadvantages: * Patient privacy concerns * Centralized repositories heighten security risk for patient files and data breach * Increased opportunities for identity theft ...
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...case study of concerns that patients have in relation to potential security risks related to health care. Patient privacy and medical document security are the main topics of this article. The article discusses the importance of provider confidentiality, proper handling of health information along with proposed solutions for potential security issues. There is a focus on the patients perception of what is considered to be protected. Loria points out that forty-five percent of patients are apprehensive about security gaps involved with their private health information (Loria, G., 2015). Protected Health Information: Patient Privacy Concern The potential breach in HIPPA, Health Insurance Portability and Privacy Act of 1996, brings up several patient privacy concerns. One consideration is the method that the patient’s health data is distributed and utilized. Electronic health records are at risk of security breaches from hackers without adequate safety measure in place. According to Loria, (2015), “In January, health insurance provider Anthem discovered that hackers had broken into a database containing up to 80 million records. And just six months prior, Chinese cyber attackers stole personal information belonging to 4.5 million patients of hospital chain Community Health Systems.” There is not one demographic that is not affected when contemplating exposure of health care information. Potential breaches in access to medical records can affect anyone who seeks medical...
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...is to protect patients, staff members and visitors from inadvertent injury. The program is also designed to protect the organization’s financial assets and intangibles, such as reputation and standing in the community. The risk management plan is a primary tool for implementing the organization’s overall risk management program. It is designed to provide guidance and structure for the organization’s clinical and business services that drive quality patient care while fostering a safe environment. The focus of the risk management plan is to provide an ongoing, comprehensive, and systematic approach to reducing risk exposures. Risk management activities include identifying, investigating, analyzing, and evaluating risks, followed by selecting and implementing the most appropriate methods for correcting, reducing, managing, transferring and/or eliminating them. Scope (When) Under the direction of the risk manager, the risk management program provides for collaboration among all departments, services, and patient care professionals within the organization. The risk management program provides policies, procedures and protocols to address events which may create business-related liability, professional liability, general liability, workers compensation, and motor vehicle liability exposures. The identification, investigation and management of accidents, injuries and other potentially compensable events are a primary responsibility under the risk management plan. This process...
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...Applying Ethical Frameworks in Practice Grand Canyon University NRS-437V Ethical Decision Making in Health Care Practicing Ethical Framework Ethical framework plays an important role in the moral decision making process in health care to determining ethical dilemmas and solution to it. The protection of the patient’s confidentiality is the keystone of effective health care. However it is very important to have a balanced approach with the need to use this information with other contexts. Maintaining the confidentiality of the patient’s information is the responsibility of everyone involved in health care. Sometimes many groups have rightful reasons for seeking access to the patient data which includes law and enforcement agencies, medical professionals, policy makers, researchers etc. There are also certain situations where a health care provider has to breach the confidentiality for the best interest to save a young person or to avoid a serious harm. This paper explores the situations which are ok to break the confidentially with the help of the article “Bioethics on NBC’s ER: Betraying Trust of Providing Good Care? Ethical Implications of a Breach of Confidentiality All medical professionals are required to maintain the strict confidentiality of patient’s health care data. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 protect the security and privacy. Breach of confidentiality is unethical or illegal according to Hippocratic oath and American Medical Association’s...
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...Evaluate the obligation Flayton Electronics has to its customers to protect their private data. Flayton Electronics does have a moral and legal obligation to its customers to protect their private data. Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, prohibits deceptive and unfair trade practices. Under the FTC Act, businesses must handle consumer information in a way that is consistent with their promises to their customers such as what they say in their online privacy policy, and avoid data security practices that create an unreasonable risk of harm to consumer data. Other federal laws may affect a company’s data security requirements, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which applied to health data; the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which apply to student records; and the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), which applies to information maintained by state departments of motor vehicles. As concerns over identity theft and data security have increased, many states have passed laws or regulations to protect their citizens. In addition to complying with federal laws, businesses should look to state laws to make sure they are in compliance (Kappler 2007). The Federal Trade Commission Act has tried to develop a single basic standard for data security that strikes the balance between providing concrete guidance, and allowing flexibility for different businesses’ needs. The standard is straightforward: Companies...
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...Anthem Health Data Breach Could Compromise PII of 80M Date February 5, 2015 Hackers allegedly broke into Anthem, Inc.’s database last week, potentially compromising the personal information of approximately 80 million former and current customers, as well as employees, according to multiple reports. The information potentially compromised includes names, dates of birth, medical IDs or Social Security numbers, street addresses, and email addresses, according to a statement from Anthem president and CEO Joseph Swedish posted on the company website. Employment information, some of which included income data, might also be at risk in the Anthem health data breach.2014-11-13-163188459 “Based on what we know now, there is no evidence that credit card or medical information, such as claims, test results or diagnostic codes were targeted or compromised,” Swedish said. “Once the attack was discovered, Anthem immediately made every effort to close the security vulnerability, contacted the FBI and began fully cooperating with their investigation.” Swedish added that the personal information of Anthem employees, including himself, were also compromised in this data breach. It was a “very sophisticated external cyber attack,” according to Swedish, and despite Anthem’s best efforts and “state-of-the-art information security systems” its IT system was breached. “We join you in your concern and frustration, and I assure you that we are working around the clock to do everything...
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...“The healthcare industry will see even bigger breaches of data and patient privacy in 2014, an Experian report says” (www.experian.com), according to this report “The healthcare industry, by far, will be the most susceptible to publicly disclosed and widely scrutinized data breaches in 2014”. A data breach is an incident in which sensitive, protected or confidential data has potentially been viewed, stolen or used by an individual unauthorized to do so. Data breaches may involve personal health information (PHI), personally identifiable information (PII), trade secrets or intellectual property. A data breach is an incident in which sensitive, protected or confidential data has potentially been viewed, stolen or used by an individual unauthorized to do so. Data breaches may involve personal health information (PHI), personally identifiable information (PII), trade secrets or intellectual property. According to laws in 40 states, when a data security breach occurs, notification must be made to the affected individuals. Depending on the size and scope of the breach, notification can be handled in a variety of ways, including by mail, telephone, email or through the news media. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protect patients' privacy and simplify the administrative processes. Information security considerations are involved throughout the guidelines and play a significant role in complying with the Privacy Rule. The purpose of this rule is to...
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...To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system, the health insurance portability and accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), law 104-191, enclosed administrative Simplification provisions that needed Department of Health and Human Services to adopt national standards for electronic health care transactions and code sets, distinctive health identifiers, and security. At the same time, Congress recognized that advances in electronic technology may erode the privacy of health data. Consequently, Congress incorporated into HIPAA provisions that mandated the adoption of Federal privacy protections for identifiable classifiable health data. HHS published a final Privacy rule Dec 2000 that was later modified in August 2002. This Rule set national standards for the protection of individually identifiable health data by three types of covered entities: health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers who conduct the quality health care transactions electronically. Compliance with the Privacy Rule was needed as of April 14, 2003 (April 14, 2004, for little health plans). HHS published a final Security rule in 2003. This Rule sets national standards for safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health data. Compliance with the protection Rule was needed as of Apr 20, 2005 (April 20, 2006 for little health plans). OCR administers and enforces the Privacy Rule and also the Security Rule. other HIPAA administrative...
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...systems handling health-related data, are increasingly targets of cybercriminals because of the information those systems contain, which ranges from Social Security numbers to health insurance identification numbers. What are healthcare entities' key struggles? What are they doing to step up compliance while also improving overall protection of patient data? We conducted our third annual Healthcare Information Security Today survey to find out. The 2014 survey sheds light on seven hot topics: * HIPAA Omnibus: Compliance is Challenging * Breach Prevention: Trend Analysis * Risk Assessments: Getting Better or Cutting Corners? * Encryption and Authentication: Room for Improvement * Mobile Tech: Inadequate Protection * Web Portals: Work in Progress * Priorities, Investments and Staffing Keeping records secure is a challenge that doctors, public health officials and federal regulators are just beginning to grasp. And, as two recent incidents at Howard University Hospital show, inadequate data security can affect huge numbers of people. On May 14, federal prosecutors one of the hospital’s medical technicians with violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. The employee used her position at the hospital to gain access to patients’ names, addresses and Medicare numbers in order to sell their information. Just a few weeks earlier, the hospital advised more than 34,000 patients that their medical data had been compromised...
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