The Compliance and Privacy Audit resource will identify, review
The Compliance and Privacy Audit resource will identify, review
The Release of Information policies has had its ups and downs throughout the medical industry. The release of information falls on the reasonability of HIM professionals and alike. The fact is all involved parties such as: patients, lawyers, physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, patient family members, and most importantly the insurance companies. All play a role in making sure the release of patient information is being secured and being kept safe from prying eyes. Not only is that important it also needs to be accurate and reliable medical information. All of the above information is not only very important it also impacts the HIPAA privacy rule.…
Privacy and security law questions can become challenging in a telemedicine setting because of the nature of the data and the ways in which it is being used. Telemedicine is increasingly becoming a medium for generating, transmitting and storing large volumes of electronic health information, and as telemedicine platforms and delivery models continue to evolve, the ways in which providers are creating and using health information are constantly changing.…
Administrators at the University of Colorado found a way to comply HIPAA to protect the integrity of electronic patient records. In addition to meeting the Privacy requirement of HIPAA, they needed a system to deal with their staff of medical professionals who move from computer to computer throughout their shifts. To be better equipped to achieve compliance, the hospital chose to use technology via a…
Management. Appendix A: Issues in Electronic Health Records Management.” Journal of AHIMA 75, no. 9 (Oct. 2004): Web extra.…
The HITECH Act’s purpose was to encourage the implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) and the necessary supporting technology of it in the United States. The HITECH Act promotes the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) by advancing the meaningful use of exchangeable electronic health records throughout the United States in order to improve the quality of health care. The meaningful use focuses on improving the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare, getting patients and their families involved in their health, improving patients’ coordination of care, and to ensure the proper privacy and security of personal health information. A doctor’s office that has complied with meaningful use and can show that they have upgraded…
Electronic health records (EHR) are often confused in terminology with electronic medical records and the two are vastly different with only a few similarities. Electronic medical records are the culmination of medical information of patients in one office. Electronic health records are designed to follow the patient wherever they receive care to build a complete history of care, treatment, and diagnoses to allow accurate care. EHR’s design is to be shared with any provider, health care system or organization, and ancillary provider to easily share the patient’s health history. This culmination of information follows the patient to any facility in town, in the state, or in the country to provide the most effective history on the…
A personal health record (PHR) is a universal tool that consists of a comprehensive database of an individuals health documents. Personal health records are available in a variety of platforms, such as paper, the internet, personal computers, and portable devices. This paper describes the contents included in a personal health record as well as the steps to putting together a personal heath record. The advantages of having a personal health record can be a life saver. Patients can control their own health records and play a proactive role in better managing their personal health care information. Several concerns remain an issue with personal health records, issues such as security and privacy, costs, and lack of standardization.…
References: Author Unknown. Breach Report 2010, Redspin Inc. Dec. 2010. Retrieved from http://www.redspin.com/resources/whitepapers-datasheets/index.php on April 19, 2012. Badzek, L., Gross, G. Confidentiality and Privacy: At the Forefront for Nurses. The American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 99, No. 6 (June, 1999), pp.52-54. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Retrieved April 18, 2012 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3472150. Byfield, E. 315,000 Patients ' Information Disappears From Emory Healthcare. WSBTV. Retrieved April 18, 2012 from file:///F:/Ethics%20information%20age/315,000%20patients%27%20information%20disappears%20from%20Emory%20Healthcare%20_%20www.wsbtv.com.htm Dixon, P. MEDICAL IDENTITY THEFT: The Information Crime that Can Kill You, March 3, 2006. World Privacy Forum. Retrieved from http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/pdf/wpf_medicalidtheft2006.pdf on April 24, 2012. Foreman, Judy (26 June 2006). "At Risk of Exposure”. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 23 , 2012. Gellman, R. Fact Sheet 8a: HIPAA Basics: Medical Privacy in the Electronic Age. Privacy Clearing House. March, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012 from http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs8a-hipaa.htm. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, 42 U.S.C. § 1320d-9 (2010).…
Consumers today have the ability to access information related to their daily lives or even information related to events happening on the opposite side of the world. However, if this same consumer needed access to his or her personal health information, the ability of the patient or their health care provider to obtain the information would be limited. (Medows) Personal health information is not used to its full potential to support effective and efficient care due to fragmented information creation and storage. Our fast-paced always on the go society calls for a change to this state of isolated, fragmented health information. Whether it be a patient relocated due to a natural disaster or being able to identify a patient who was prescribed a recalled drug, having access to health information no matter where the patient may be is necessary. (Vest and Gamm, 2010) Making health information technology (HIT) will not only enable healthcare consumers access to their own medical history but also ensure that healthcare providers have timely access to medical records, improve the ease and safety of e-prescribing, improve payer reimbursement, and provide the information needed for population based health planning. (Medows) Policy makers, researchers, industry groups, and health care professionals agree that health information exchange (HIE) is the much needed solution. (Vest and Gamm, 2010)…
Today, you have more reason than ever to care about the privacy of your medical information. They were once stored in locked file cabinets and on dusty shelves in the medical records department. Your doctor’s used to be the sole keeper of your physical and mental health information. With today's usage of electronic medical records software, information discussed in confidence with your doctor’s will be recorded into electronic data files. The obvious concern the potential for your records to be seen by hundreds of strangers who work in health care, the insurance industry, and a host of businesses associated with medical organizations. Fortunately, this catastrophic scenario will likely be avoided.…
the organization. Disclosing is defined as releasing, transferring, provision of access and divulging in any…
Every healthcare organizations must comply with the privacy and security rules to protect patient identifiable information. Patient identifiable information is confidential therefore policies are in place to ensure that organizations security message cuts across departments. A Data breach is defined by the Department of Human Services as an “impermissible use or disclosure under the privacy rule that compromises the security or privacy of the protected health information.” The Office for Civil Rights and the…
The electronic health record also known as the EHR, has transformed the world of health care and documentation as we know it. An electronic health record is a “ computer-based data warehouse or repository of information regarding the health status of a client, which is replacing the former paper-based medical record; it is the systematic documentation of a client’s health status and health care in a secured digital format , meaning that is can be processed, stored, transmitted, and accessed by authorized interdisciplinary professionals for the purpose of supporting efficient, high-quality health care across the client’s…
In this paper this student will discuss the national mandate of electronic health records (EHR), and how this mandate is being implemented at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Also discussed are how Cleveland Clinic is progressing to achieve EHR, and what challenges this brings to patient confidentiality and self-determination. Lastly this student will provide information on the benefits of EHR in healthcare.…
With today’s high usage of electronic medical records software in hospitals, clinics and health care facilities it’s important to protect every patient’s health information and medical records. As we visit the physician’s office or hospital we expect our health information to stay confidential and obtain our records at anytime for any reason. The HIPAA privacy regulation helps us feel confident that our privacy won’t be violated by giving us the right to authorize only certain individuals to have access to our medical records. But in case if our health information is breached or shared, there are a few steps that we can take toward this action. With this being said I will explain how to file a complaint when our rights are denied with obtaining our medical records and inform you of how the Office of Civil Rights will investigate the HIPAA Violation complaint.…