...may arise. Violating personal health information may occur with the slip of a key. Medical advice may be given with consequences. Social networks can be helpful, but may also be damaging. Having a policy within a facility will assist in reducing the risk of a privacy violation. A social network site is an online community for individuals to meet and share information along with discussing common interests. The issue arises from a health care professional violating patient privacy and other HIPAA laws within the social networking sites. Leaking patient information through these sites can be damaging to the patient and the physician at the same time. Social media sites tend to be relaxed and not always handled in a professional manor. This can lead to personal health information leaking through the sites. Although the leaks may not be intentional, they are still a violation of privacy laws protecting the patient. As a society, personal information that could possibly be damaging to a person is both personal and potential gossip. Not all leaks of personal health information are gossip, and damaging, but it could be for any person. The damage will reflect the person being spoken about and the medical facility that has treated the patient. When a simple slip of a health care facility staff member, such as a nurse, slips and mentions something regarding their day, a privacy violation will occur. Simply mentioning how your day went and stating information without specifics...
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...receives health benefits. When the HIPPA was produced; they also produced the HIPPA Privacy Rule. The HIPPA Privacy Rule was being enforced, because confidential patient information was being shifted from one medical facility to the next. HIPPA protects an individual’s health information or his /her demographic information. It is also called “protected health information” or “PHI”. HIPPA protects patient’s information such as your name, dates relating to the patients, birthdates, medical treatment, admission discharge dates and dates of death. They also involved telephone numbers, and addresses, social security numbers, and any other unique identifying numbers you may encounter obtaining yourself. Before entering into the medical field, whether it is in a Hospital Facility or just a doctor’s office; there are important rules and regulations that one must abide by. Those rules are as followed: 1. one person cannot discuss a patient medical care with someone who is not directly related to the patient medical care group. 2. You cannot discuss the patient’s progress with anyone but the patient without getting permission from the patient or their legal guardian first. 3. You cannot display information about the patients to family and friends. 4. And you cannot read patient medical information that belongs to someone who you are not caring for. These important rules and regulation of the HIPPA are for those that work in the Health Plans,...
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...Employees Fired Over Patient Privacy Violations Luanne D. Walters HCS/335 Ethics: Health Care and Social Responsibility February 29, 2012 Jacqueline Paik Employees Fired Over Patient Privacy Violations “Whatsoever things I see or hear concerning the life of men, in the attendance on the sick or even apart there from, which ought not be noised abroad, I will keep silence thereon, counting such things to be as sacred secrets (Oath of Hippocrates, 4th Century, B.C.E.)”. Addressing issues pertaining to the privacy of a patient is not new to the medical arena. In the past the confidentiality between a patient and the doctor should have been taken seriously, however, was sometimes taken for granted, and information was passed to people with no need to know. In 1996 The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA) was legislated. Rules and regulations to guard patient privacy were brought to the forefront in the world of patient care. Safeguarding a patient’s electronic data continues to be a high emphasis in doctor/patient confidentiality. The issue that will be addressed in regard to violating patient privacy in this paper took place in a Minneapolis hospital in March 2011. The issue involved nearly 32 hospital employees who took it upon themselves to look up information on a number of patients...
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...Americans and to address administrative activities regarding claims submissions to insurance carriers (American Medical Association, 2011). Along with streamlining the administrative process, HIPAA also guarantees patient privacy and has strict guidelines regarding how organizations can disclose a patient’s protected health information (American Medical Association, 2011). The Department of Health and Human Services promises to impose steep fines to those organizations that do not follow the HIPAA guidelines. Although many of the guidelines they are referring to have more to do with billing and coding procedures, patients’ privacy is also very important. Many facilities have educated staff extensively on the issues surrounding patient privacy. Prior to 1996, a patient’s family member could call a hospital and request the medical status of his or her loved one who was hospitalized. Currently, the patient must give express consent as to whom the staff may and may not speak with regarding their care. The rule has become to not only refrain from giving any information, but they cannot even confirm or deny a patient’s admission status. The various elements in the HIPAA guidelines are daunting. Seemingly innocuous actions are now cause for concern. There have been several institutions, which have been cited for HIPAA privacy violations. The management at Richmond Surgical GPS PC (RichSurg) have taken cues from other institutions in identifying...
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...day. The patent at this point is now in an ‘in-patient’ status. No further EMTALA obligations should exist for the hospital if an identified emergency medical condition has been stabilized or if the patient in question is considered...
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...Administrative Ethics Misty Sorensen HCS/335 August 19, 2012 Christine Singel Administrative Ethics Patient privacy is the responsibility of the medical organization that treats the patient. Patients have the right to have their medical issues kept private from people that do not need to know the information. The federal government has created the HIPPA policy to help medical organizations understand and follow rules to protect the privacy of the patients that come to the organization. It is important for the organization to make sure that all members of the staff are trained and follow the policies of HIPPA. In some cases organizations may have ethical issues arise involving a patient’s privacy and the confidential information of a patient. Ethical issues arose at the Alexandria VA Medical Center it involved the staff and the administration. The VA Office of Inspector General’s office was called to look into the problems (Garrett, Baillie, & Garrett 2009). The VA Office of Inspector General Office of Healthcare Inspections investigated the possibility of mismanagement of the suicide prevention program at the Alexandria VA Medical Center in Pineville, LA. A confidential complaint against the facility was filed and the allegations made stated that there were over 600 patients on a high risk for suicide list and that the patients were not monitored as required. Privacy and confidentiality rules were not followed in the suicide prevention program. The administration...
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...Invasion of a Patient’s Privacy and a Physician’s Loss HCS/335 October 21, 2013 Linda Hagler-Reid, MBA Introduction Physicians take an oath to do no harm and to place the welfare of their patients above all else; they vow to act with integrity, in accordance with the law, and within ethical guidelines. While individuals can perceive human behavior differently, there is no excuse for misconduct, degradation, or violation of a patient’s human rights. Ethically, it is not immoral to disagree about what is right and what is wrong, in some societies this is viewed as normal behavior. Despite differences in opinion, most will agree that there are certain standards of conduct that must be upheld, especially when it involves the human rights of others. Violation of a patient’s privacy is an act punishable by law, violation of a patient’s dignity is outright reprehensible, and what is considered to be unbecoming behavior of a medical professional. Although freedom to act as one pleases is a human right that is afforded us; to act without regard for others is morally wrong. Health care practitioners are often privileged to extremely personal information regarding their patients whether that information is health related or personal. All to frequently, physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals are witness to events that can be disturbing in nature. At times, these events can be unnerving and sometimes entertaining, but nevertheless should be kept confidential...
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...The question in the case of Joan Grant is whether this an Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) violation. The presumption is that Community Hospital and for profit is Medicare participating hospital and receiving funds from CMS and therefore subject to EMTALA law. The EMTALA las has certain condition that must be met by the treating facility. “EMTALA imposes 3 distinct legal duties on hospitals. According to the statute, only facilities that participate in Medicare are included, but this encompasses almost 98% of all US hospitals. First, hospitals must perform a medical screening examination (MSE) on any person who comes to the hospital and requests care to determine whether an emergency medical condition (EMC) exists. Second, if an EMC exists, hospital staff must either stabilize that condition to the extent of their ability or transfer the patient to another hospital with the appropriate capabilities. Finally, hospitals with specialized capabilities or facilities (e.g., burn units) are required to accept transfers of...
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...but then Irene collapsed. Concerned, the staff dialed 911 per facility protocol and made Irene comfortable, waiting with Irene’s daughter, for the ambulance to arrive. The ambulance personnel arrived to the scene and immediately proceeded with performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Ethical Dilemma Irene’s daughter and nurse instantly stated that Irene was a DNR resident of the facility. Emergency personnel stated that they would have to view the DNR documents and would continue procedures until they examined the required paperwork. Irene’s nurse ran into the facility to grab her record; however, by her return the emergency personnel had already resuscitated Irene. There are many scenarios where ball dropping can occur in healthcare and it is at those times when ethical legal decision-making dilemmas appear. Marjorie is a 91-year-old female residing in a long-term care facility (Kase, 2013). Marjorie’s daughter filed a lawsuit against the long-term care facility and the hospital for attempting to resuscitate Marjorie and perform multiple and painful interventions to sustain her...
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...Protecting patient privacy is in vital in today society. One of the largest problems in the health care industry is patient privacy. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules are the main Federal laws that protect your health information. The Privacy Rule gives you rights with respect to your health information. The Privacy Rule also sets limits on how your health information can be used and shared with others. The Security Rule sets rules for how your health information must be kept secure with administrative, technical, and physical safeguards. ( ) Many different and potentially serious issues can arise from violating a patient’s privacy. The recent outbreak of Ebola has the country on edge. As health care officials struggle to contain the world’s biggest-ever Ebola outbreak, their efforts are being complicated by another problem protecting patient rights. The issue and its impact on the population is protecting the patient’s information, giving the patient that sense of peace. The third American affected with Ebola was only know as “mystery patient” he elected to stay private for the safety of his family. December 8, 2014 the mystery patient came forward and explains to the NY times why he kept his name confidential. The day he arrived at the hospital Dr. Ian Crozier told his mother that he didn’t want his name to be release until after his death. Dr. Ian Crozier biggest fear...
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...healthcare has been the goal of regulatory agencies from the beginning. Controlling healthcare cost and delivering quality care is made possible through health care legislation. The following will discuss governmental regulatory agencies and its effects on the healthcare industry. Government Regulatory Agencies and Their Role Federal regulatory agencies are in place to govern issues that impact the people of the United States. These agencies have been in existence for hundreds of years. Situations that impact the American society are inclusive to things that have a direct personal affect on them individually. These same issues potentially have a negative impact on organizations and businesses private or public from coast to coast. Violations of federal regulation can have serious consequences such as sanctions, business fines including but not limited to time served in jail. These agencies were created by our government and were given empowerment to hold organizations accountable to the...
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...Bruner, filed a complaint for civil rights violations in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas against defendants Marque Jameson and Mary Staton. The complaint alleged claims arising out of the death of Terry Albert Bruner while he was incarcerated in the Sedgwick County Jail. Plaintiff contended that the death was a result of defendants’ deliberate indifference to Terry Albert Bruner’s serious medical needs. Defendants denied liability. The problem in question is the violation of the eighth amendment. Where the eighth amendment is that excessive bail shall not be required, no excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. A jury trial was held from February 22, 2012 through March 5, 2012. The jury returned a verdict on March 5, 2012 in favor of defendants. The court entered judgment on March 6, 2012. Introduction In the beginning of the case the plaintiff and defendant lawyers provide their opening statements. The violation in question on the defendants was violating the eighth amendment of the then and now deceased Terry Bruner which was jailed for Driving Under the Influence, Drunk Driving, and leaving the scene of an accident. Terry Bruner had a preexisting health condition which is cirrhosis and hepatitis c. This preexisting health condition was known by the institution in which he was jailed and made him more susceptible to illness. The institution failed to provide medical aid when he fell sick with strep pneumonia...
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...Breaching Patient Privacy What would you do if you logged into Facebook and saw that a medical student had posted personal pictures of you from a procedure that they observed? Do you believe that you have a legal right to have that picture removed? With the population of people using social media on the rise, situations similar to this issue are continuing to grow. Patient privacy has moved to the back burner, while social status has moved to the front; an issue that HIPAA is looking into for a solution. Breaching Patient Privacy Exposing a patient’s procedure, medical background, or personal information via social media has become one of the biggest issues in the health care industry. Young medical students have become enthralled in the ability to post pictures on a website to impress their friends. What these students do not realize is that they are gaining this praise at the cost of someone else’s expense. Park (2009), “Although med students fully understand patient-confidentiality laws and are indoctrinated in the high ethical standards to which their white-coated profession is held, many of them still use Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr and other sites to depict and discuss lewd behavior and sexual misconduct, make discriminatory statements and discuss patient cases in violation of confidentiality laws, according to the survey, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.”(para. 2). The problem with sharing information on these social networking...
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...valuable use of every communication tools. Health information is the most valuable support of the healthcare industry. Therefore, use of the communication systems are the ground point of the entire healthcare system, as far as interacting and exchanging ideas and information from one another. The care of patients in the nursing homes, are very big concern especially when dealing with people of different backgrounds, cultures, ethnics, and treatment of care. Each person residing in a nursing home needs to be cared for, information is kept on each patient, and different healthcare professions are in the positions to transfer and discuss different matters that apply to each individual. As more people enter into these nursing homes and healthcare facilities, there is an e increase in attention of the information and communication technology being used in the healthcare field. As the nursing home administrator of Garden Manor, I will be discussing the different types of communication methods for my health care organization (Garden Manor), including the advantages and disadvantages of using traditional, electronic, and social media for health care communication. Then I will going into discussing the effects of HIPAA and other regulations on the use of media for health care communication. Communication plays an important role in healthcare and is very much often neglected by people in the healthcare industry. Among all healthcare manager functions,...
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...elder abuse reports received from nursing homes. Based on figures from 54 states, the total number of reports was 472,813 (Teaster, 2003). A study prepared by the minority staff of the Special Investigations Division of the House Government Reform Committee found that 30% of nursing homes in the United States, 5,283 facilities, were cited for almost 9,000 instances of abuse from 1999 to 2001 (Waxman, 2001). The report stated that 1,601 of these instances could have or did cause the resident serious injury or death. The instances reported ranged from physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, bedsores, inadequate medical care, malnutrition, dehydration, preventable accidents, inadequate sanitation and hygiene. Some other shocking finds of the report were that more than 40% of the abuse violations were not reported until formal complaints was brought by residents or family members. 1,327 of the nursing homes were cited more than once for abuse violations during this two year period, 305 were cited for three or more violations and 192 were cited for five or more abuse violations (Waxman, 2001). If you have an elderly parent of relative in a nursing facility there are signs to look for to determine if your loved one is being properly cared for according to HelpGuide.Org. Emotional abuse Threatening, belittling, or...
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