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Hcs 335

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Article Review: HIPAA breaches: minimizing risks and patient fears

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HCS/335

March 13, 2013
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Article Review: HIPAA breaches: minimizing risks and patient fears

The article, “HIPPA breaches: minimizing risks and patient fears”, by Gabby Loria who is a Market Research Associate for Software Advice, is an industry view 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 services. The

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