Balance Sheets and Income Statements
Administrative Ethics
Melissa Johnson
HCA/335
September 17, 2012
Ann Nevers
Administrative Ethics
Patient privacy in any medical facility is not only a right, but a law which was passed by the United States congress in 1996. The law provides the ability to transfer and continue health insurance coverage for Americans when the change or lose their jobs, reduces healthcare fraud and abuse, mandates industry wide standards for health care information on electronic billing, and requires confidential handling of protected health information. The confidentiality is the portion which medical staff and their business associates develop and follow procedures that ensure the confidentiality and security of PHI, protected health information. (California Department of Health Care Services, 2012) Many medical facilities and pharmacies throughout our country fail to comply with these HIPAA regulations and through neglect or fraudulent activity compromise a patient’s personal health information. Channel 13 in Indiana did an investigation on pharmacies throughout our nation which discarded prescription labels, pill bottles, and patient information sheets with patient’s personal information into their unsecured dumpsters around Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Louisville, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. When prescriptions are dropped off, electronically transferred, or called into a pharmacy, patients assume their personal information is guarded and protected. The information given to the pharmacy consists of the patient’s address, telephone number, date of birth, prescribing doctor, social security numbers, and the type of medication on record. This is a violation of federal law. "Putting protected health information in a dumpster that is accessible to anyone is clearly not an example of a reasonable safeguard," said Susan McAndrew, senior advisor with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ' Office of Civil Rights. (Segall, 2012)
Melissa Johnson
HCA/335
September 17, 2012
Ann Nevers
Administrative Ethics
Patient privacy in any medical facility is not only a right, but a law which was passed by the United States congress in 1996. The law provides the ability to transfer and continue health insurance coverage for Americans when the change or lose their jobs, reduces healthcare fraud and abuse, mandates industry wide standards for health care information on electronic billing, and requires confidential handling of protected health information. The confidentiality is the portion which medical staff and their business associates develop and follow procedures that ensure the confidentiality and security of PHI, protected health information. (California Department of Health Care Services, 2012) Many medical facilities and pharmacies throughout our country fail to comply with these HIPAA regulations and through neglect or fraudulent activity compromise a patient’s personal health information. Channel 13 in Indiana did an investigation on pharmacies throughout our nation which discarded prescription labels, pill bottles, and patient information sheets with patient’s personal information into their unsecured dumpsters around Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Louisville, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. When prescriptions are dropped off, electronically transferred, or called into a pharmacy, patients assume their personal information is guarded and protected. The information given to the pharmacy consists of the patient’s address, telephone number, date of birth, prescribing doctor, social security numbers, and the type of medication on record. This is a violation of federal law. "Putting protected health information in a dumpster that is accessible to anyone is clearly not an example of a reasonable safeguard," said Susan McAndrew, senior advisor with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ' Office of Civil Rights. (Segall, 2012)
References: American Medical Association. (2012). HIPAA Violations and Enforcement. Retrieved from http://www.ama-assn.org California Department of Health Care Services. (2012). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Retrieved from http://www.dhcs.ca.gov Federal Trade Commission. (2009, February). CVS Caremark Settles FTC Charges:Failed to Protect Medical and Financial Privacy of Customers and Employees. Retrieved from http://www.ftc.gov Segall, B. (2012). WTHR Finds Prescription Privacy Problems Nationwide. Retrieved from http://www.wthr.com