...Yes and no the rules seem reasonable. Social media and other electronic communication are increasing with social networking sites and video sites. We often use electronic social media both personally and professionally. Social media can aid health care by promoting timely communication with patients and their loved ones and educating health care professionals of the latest diagnoses and treatments. To understand appropriate use of social media, it is important to have an understanding of confidentiality and privacy in the health care setting. Confidentiality and privacy have coincided with each other, but are vastly different. Patient’s medical records must be watched over during the course of treatment, whether in a hospital or medical office....
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...Introduction: No matter what industry the organization fits in, IT Compliance plays an essential role of operations. It will cover both internal policies, federal regulations ,ethical practices, standards. Privacy is Fundamental to good health care. The HIPAA privacy rule is essential to patient care and public health and safety. Its very important to protect against disclosure of sensitive health information. Its critical to recognize that the lack of health privacy can lead to Individual health care and endanger public health and safety. Additional mesasures could enhance the effectivenss of the HIPAA privacy rule. Before the privacy rule with effect in April 2003, the inadequate health professional and patient outreach , awareness have...
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...•What did you learn from the HIPAA tutorial? •Why is this information important? •How will you use this information in the future? On April 14, 2003 the Health Insurance portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) took effect, and these federal regulation have had an impact on the field of healthcare. It affords certain protections to persons covered by health care plans, including continuity of coverage when changing jobs, standards for electronic health care transactions, and primary safeguards for the privacy of individually identifiable patient information. Protecting healthcare information is the key essential in a healthcare organization. In an Internet video, Barclay (2010) states it is imperative that all healthcare providers be knowledgeable about the HIPAA standards and protect the rights of patients and residents. However, patients also have the responsibilities to give accurate information about their condition and to participate in treatment and care. With that being said the doctrine of informed consent allows patients full disclosure to make a knowledgeable decision about their care. Failure of patient confidentiality gives rise to legal liability. Identifying different forms of security breaches and creating measures to safeguards standards, procedure and policies against leaking personal health information (PHI) will maintain and promote growth of an organization. Identifying different forms of security breaches and instituting measures to implement...
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...the Study In the rapidly changing system of health care, many different factors have affected and changed the perception about how health care is practiced today. The rights of patient are also affected. Patient rights have now become the center of attention in practice of medicine. Today, concerns about patients’ choice and the respect for their preferences, values and the access to medical care are getting more complex. The patients’ expectations are becoming higher and now they always want everything best (Rafique & Bhatti, 2014). Nurses are subject to numerous ethical and legal duties in their professional role, including the imperative to maintain patients’ privacy and confidentiality. Beginning in 1893, nurses take the Nightingale Pledge “I promise to do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling” (Gretter, 2012). The duty continues today, with hospital policies, state regulations, and federal law aimed at protecting patients’ confidentiality. Critical care providers are often privy to confidential information in the course of clinical practice. The dilemma may arise when confidential information is requested by family members or friends of the patient. Although at times it seems that regulations and laws are so stringent that any disclosure of health care information is forbidden, it may be necessary...
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...with the privacy of medical information. Patient’s information was accessible to employers in some cases, and also to people issuing loans to these individuals. Patients reveal intimate details in confidence to their health care providers, which were normally stored in locked file cabinets, and on shelves in medical records department, now records are stored in data files and may be seen by hundreds of strangers in health service, insurance companies and any organization affiliated with health service. HIPPA Privacy Rule made it possible for all patients to see, copy and request to amend their own medical records. It provides federal protection for patient’s health information. With the Privacy Rule patients must be notify about who their medical information is disclosed to. Patients can also find out who access their medical records for the prior six years. Under the HIPPA Privacy Rule only minimum information should be disclosed to accomplish the intended purpose and a complaint can be filed if there is a violation of privacy. The Privacy Rule only applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and to any health care provider who transmits health information in electronic form in connection with transactions for which the Secretary of Health and Human Services has adopted standards under HIPAA. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, was enacted on August 21, 1996. Sections 261 through 264 of HIPAA require the Secretary of Health and Human...
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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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...Phoenix Material Privacy and Security Worksheet Consider this week’s readings and class discussion about privacy and security rules and the storage of records. Write 50- to 100-word answers for each of the following questions based on your readings and class discussion. 1. What is the difference between privacy and security? There is often confusion about the difference between privacy, confidentiality and security. In the context of HIPAA, privacy determines who should have access, what constitutes the patient’s rights to confidentiality, and what constitutes inappropriate access to health records. Confidentiality establishes how the records (or the systems that hold those records) should be protected from inappropriate access. Security is the means by which you ensure privacy and confidentiality. 2. Identify standards established through the Privacy Rule to protect individuals’ health information. The Privacy Rule for the first time creates national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information. • It gives patients more control over their health information. • It sets boundaries on the use and release of health records. • It establishes appropriate safeguards that health care providers and others must achieve to protect the privacy of health information. • It holds violators accountable, with civil and criminal penalties that can be imposed if they violate patients' privacy rights. •...
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...Privacy Rules 3 critical areas of HIPAA for a training session of your staff Privacy Rules The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) issued the Privacy Rule to implement the requirement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). 1 The Privacy Rule standards address the use and disclosure of individuals’ health information—called “protected health information” by organizations subject to the Privacy Rule — called “covered entities,” as well as standards for individuals' privacy rights to understand and control how their health information is used. A major goal of the Privacy Rule is to assure that individuals’ health information is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high quality health care and to protect the public's health and well being. Who is Covered by the Privacy Rule The Privacy Rule, as well as all the Administrative Simplification rules, apply to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and to any health care provider who transmits health information in electronic form in connection with transactions for which the Secretary of HHS has adopted standards under HIPAA Health Plans. Individual and group plans that provide or pay the cost of medical care are covered entities.4 Health plans include health, dental, vision, and prescription drug insurers, health maintenance organizations (“HMOs”), Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare+Choice and Medicare supplement...
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...Previous health care records were handwritten by a clinician on paper forms in a folder and stored away in file cabinets. An electronic medical record (EMR) is the electronic version of this previous medical chart, and what is popularly used in today’s time of health care. “It includes all components of the patient’s medical records and enables any member of a patient’s treatment team to access the patient’s progress notes, treatment plans, medications, and other patient information from a variety of locations” (Richards, 2009). The Institute of Medicine recommended the use of EMR’s since the year 2003. Since then, electronic medical records have been proven to provide effective treatment, reduce medical errors and improved accessibility to patient’s medical records. The implantation of electronic medical records has been an advantage to the current U.S health care industry and its people. By using this system, drug interaction warnings, prescription refill notifications and annual screening reminders are what save our population today. In order for an organization to decide whether to implement this system or not, management must review the risks and benefits that come along with this. The cost of applying EMR’s is considerably high and is categorized as being a risk for a company. Not only for the upgrade in technological machinery, but also in the training of health care professionals. Managers must set aside a budget specifically for the implementation of equipment as...
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...Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Privacy Rule Abstract As one of the regulations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) of 1996, Public Law 104-191; the HIPPA Privacy Rule sets “the standards for privacy of individually identifiable health information” (Speers, Wilcox, & Brown 2004). Established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2002, this set of national standards deals with the use and disclosure of health information, in addition to the principles guiding patients’ rights over their health information; which includes the right to review, obtain a copy of their health records, and request corrections. The ultimate goal of the Privacy Rule is to protect the confidentiality of patients’ health information while enabling the use of this information for appropriate health care related purposes. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Privacy Rule The Privacy Rule contains standards that outline terms for the electronic exchange, use, and privacy protection of patients’ personally identifiable medical information; also referred to as protected health information (PHI). These standards apply to the following covered entities: health clearinghouses, health plans, and health providers who transmit health information in electronic form; (Hoffman & Podgurski, 2007). Health clearinghouses are businesses that are utilized to process PHI into...
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...requirements • Privacy requirements • Security requirements • National identifier requirements 2. Name 3 factors used to determine whether you need to comply with HIPAA. a. Whether the health plan is self-insured or fully insured b. Whether the plan sponsor receives PHI or SHI c. How the plan sponsor utilizes SHI. 3. What are the three categories of entities affected by HIPAA Medical Privacy Regulations? • Health Care Providers: Any provider of medical or other health services, or supplies, who transmits any health information in electronic form in connection with a transaction for which standard requirements have been adopted. • Health Plans: Any individual or group plan that provides or pays the cost of health care. • Health Care Clearinghouses: A public or private entity that transforms health care transactions from one format to another. 4. What would Business Associates of covered entities consist of as it pertains to HIPAA’s regulation? HIPAA defines a business associate as an individual or corporate "person" that: • performs on behalf of the covered entity any function or activity involving the use or disclosure of protected health information (PHI); and • is not a member of the covered entity's workforce. 5. Who is covered by the Privacy Rule in HIPAA? Give some examples. • Health care providers who transmit any health information electronically in connection with certain transactions. • Health plans. • Health care clearinghouses ...
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...relate to ways that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violations may affect the medical billing process. While researching, the findings conclude that confidentiality of health information was adopted centuries ago. The findings of the research show that although, HIPAA laws have been put into place to protect the privacy and confidential heath information of patients; HIPAA laws are sometimes violated. The medical billing coders are sometimes careless when handling confidential information; however medical health records should be protected adequately. The coder that violates the HIPAA laws concerning the confidentiality and privacy of patient health information can suffer serious ramifications. The ramifications of these violations could result in serious penalties such as disciplinary actions by the employer, monetary fines, and jail time, or both. HIPAA violations ranks number one among the complaints received by the Office of Civil Rights each year. Humans take pleasure in the right to privacy in every aspect of life. The right of protecting the confidentiality and privacy of identifiable personal health information takes first priority and is greatly cherished among most. The Hippocratic Oath, dating back centuries required physicians to keep medical information concerning their patients a secret. However, in today’s society medical health information is maintained by more than the physician and patient. Personal health information is retained...
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...ad Administrative Ethics HCS/335 Health Care Ethics and Social Responsibility February 22, 2015 William Bross Administrative Ethics When it comes to administrative ethics in the health care field, this is where ethics issues are being dealt with on a constant basis. The hard part is of keeping the ethical line between what is right and legal is not an easy thing to figure out. In this article, it talks about patients' confidentiality, and in this article it is about critical care providers are often privy to confidential information in the course of the clinic. The dilemma can arise when confidential information is requested by family members or friends of the patient. The Critical care nurses must be aware of the regulations regarding confidentiality, as well as situations where the use and disclosure of protected health information are permitted. (Critical Care Nurse.2012;32[5]:61-65) This is where the critical care nurses must take the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws on how important they are in the health care field, and to make sure that use the line between what is right with the confidentiality for their patients. When it comes to the health care field there are privacy and confidentiality that needs to be enforced to the areas where it comes patient privacy and confidentiality. However, in this paper the legal and ethical issues that arise from both sides, when each party is bound by separate laws, as well as what happens...
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..."Does the EMR actually protect patient privacy and what are the regulatory ramifications in the US on EMR implementation?” Table of Contents: INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW ANALYSIS I. MEDICAL RECORDS THEN AND NOW A. Paper-Based Medical Records VS. Electronic Medical Records B. Benefits, Potential Problems and Cost of the EMR II. HEALTH CARE PRIVACY LAW A. HIPAA 1.What is HIPAA? 2. HIPPA Privacy & Security B. HIPAA and EMR III. CAN ANYTHING BE DONE TO PROTECT PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY/ PRIVACY? A. Why Should Patient Privacy Be Afforded Privacy Protection Regulation? B. Patient Privacy Within EMR IV. SPANNING THE MILES Intranet & Extranet Software & IM/IT CONCLUSION GLOSSARY REFERENCES Introduction: Healthcare companies all over the world are slowly recognizing the benefits on an EMR. Although EMR’s were implemented over 30 years ago but as of 2006 fewer than 10% of hospitals were utilizing the system. In 2009 the he U.S. Department of Health and Human Services enacted a privacy rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in an attempt to protect the privacy of patients medical records. But one question still arises; “Does the EMR actually protect patient privacy and what are the regulatory ramifications in the US on EMR implementation?” In this paper I will address EMR, patient privacy and the regulatory ramifications of EMR implementation. Literature Review The literature shows that there is...
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...16, 2013 Rosalina Nava-Bermudez There are a plethora of issues concerning patient privacy, confidentiality, and HIPAA. Unfortunately, these are issues that have arisen more recently; patient privacy and confidentiality wasn’t a largely disputed issue before the introduction and increase of health information technology implementation and usage. According to the Center for Democracy and Technology, “Health information technology has tremendous potential to improve health care quality and reduce costs while empowering patients to play a greater role in the management of their own care. At the same time, however, electronic storage and exchange of personal health information poses risks to privacy. Unaddressed, privacy concerns can stand in the way of realizing the benefits of health IT, for neither patients nor providers will make full use of a system they do not trust.” One has no choice but to take the two into consideration: do the speed, accuracy, and reduced cost of health information technology outweigh the potential privacy concerns? As stated in a brief article published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, “The combination of these technologies will improve the quality of health care by making it more personalized and reducing costs and medical errors. While there are benefits to technologies, associated privacy and security issues need to be analyzed to make these systems socially acceptable.” While these may not be considered...
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