Assignment 1: Preventing Misuse Of Medical Records

. HIPAA privacy rules are complicated and extensive, and set forth guidelines to be followed by health care providers and other covered entities such as insurance carriers and by consumers. HIPAA is very specific in its requirements regarding the release of information, but is not as specific when it comes to the manner in which training and policies are developed and delivered within the health care industry. This paper will discuss how HIPAA affects a patient's access to their medical records, how and under what circumstances personal health information can be released to other entities for purposes

When confidential patient information is disclosed without consent it is a violation of the HIPAA Title II Security Rule. This rule was enacted in response to private information being leaked to the news and emails containing privileged information were read by unauthorized people. Identity theft is a real concern so patient privacy should be taken seriously. This is a rule can easily be broken without the

All healthcare providers, health organizations, and government health plans that use, store, maintain, or transmit patient health care information are required to comply with the privacy regulations of the HIPAA

Personal health information includes a patient’s name, address, birthdate and social security number. It also includes a person’s health or mental status whether it is in the past, present or future. HIPAA gives people the right to have access to their medical records. It also states that people have the right to either give consent or deny consent of their information being shared or released. All health care facilities, insurance companies, pharmacies, vision, and dental offices must adhere to the HIPAA guidelines. Though patients have a right to their information being kept confidential, their information may be shared for necessity in regards to treatment, billing, to protect the public health, and if the law requires disclosure. Penalties are set in place for violations of the HIPAA laws ("HIPAA summary,"

Another law and regulation currently faced by the Center for Disease Control is Health Information Privacy (HIPAA). "The HIPAA Privacy Rule provides federal protections for personal health information held by covered entities and gives patients an array of rights with respect to that information" (US Department of Health and Human Services). All of us believe our medical and other health information is private. Most of us believe our health information should be protected. We want to know who has that information. The privacy gives a person rights over his health information and sets rules and limits on who can look at it. This is a federal law. Health plans and most health care providers must follow these laws. There are organizations that do not have to follow the Privacy and Security Rules. Those organizations include life insurers, employers, many schools, school districts, and many law enforcement agencies. Other organizations are included.

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services published a bulletin on September 2, 2005 that addressed “HIPAA privacy and disclosures in emergency situations” (Department of Health & Human Services [DHHS], 2005, p. 1). According to this bulletin, patient information can be shared in emergency situations to provide treatment. Information may also be shared if it is necessary to “identify, locate and notify family members, guardians, or anyone else responsible for the individual’s care of the individual’s location, general condition, or death” (DHHS, 2005, p. 1). Finally, information may be shared if the patient is found to be in imminent danger or if the individual has agreed to be included in the facility directory

The website informs that under HIPAA, a patient has the right to obtain a copy of their medical records. An exception is doctor’s notes for a psychotherapy patient, but the patient still has the right to ask. Also, the individual has the right to submit a written correction to be kept with the medical records. Another important right is to have the medical records be kept private.

The Insurance Portability portion essentially reduced the impact pre-existing conditions have on obtaining health insurance. The law drastically limits when an insurance plan can allow denial of services for pre-existing conditions, and in most cases, such as when a person is able to secure continuous medical coverage, obliterates it. For instance, if a worker is laid off from his job, but continues to purchase

Health care members are required to guarantee that the privacy of the patient’s health information does not get out without the patient’s permission. Healthcare workers can use the patient information for treatment or payment cleared by HIPAA. The worker must get permission from the patient before they

Any patient that is seen by a physician within the United States is to be protected by the “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” or HIPAA, which was passed into law in 1996 (Jani, 2009). All health care facilities dealing with any protected health information (PHI) are to ensure that all physical/electronic processes are safeguarded from any third party entity or unauthorized personnel according to HIPAA. All health care data to include any medical insurance

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was When it comes to protecting health information the law is very clear. Covered entities are required to follow the rules put in place by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA. To protect the privacy and security of patient information, healthcare organization must first address the potential threats and implement policies to keep patient information from being released to unauthorized individuals. HIPAA has set forth guidelines for covered entities to implement to protect health information. When these rules are not implemented and violations occur, healthcare organizations are penalized. These penalties can range from fines to criminal

Release of Information in healthcare is critical to the quality of continuing the care provided to patients. It plays an important role in billing, reporting, research and other functions. The HIPAA privacy rule has specific rules for the management of health information to ensure confidentiality of each individual. The rule will balance the need for prompt and informed delivery of health care services with that of protecting the individual. There are no standard uniform state privacy law in use of all 50 states, yet the territories. State laws focus on for example HIV generic information as well as a degree of strictness or protectiveness of patient privacy. Some states need that additional patient authorization be obtained prior to release, but some states do not. The law required that healthcare organizations develop, implement and maintain policies, processes and procedures around release of information. Overall management of those HIM processes that shows the fundamental to confidentiality, security and compliance in releasing protected health information. It is important that the organization 's policies and procedures include the management practices that support the process of disclosure and it 's oversight.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, otherwise known as HIPAA, was endorsed by the U.S. Congress in 1996. The HIPAA Privacy Rule, also called the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, provided the first nationally recognizable regulations for the use or disclosure of an individual's health information. The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes national standards to protect individuals’ medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, health care clearinghouse, and those health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically. (OCR 2003)

HIPAA was put in place to help set standards on protecting a patients personal health information, therefore HIPAA does affect a patient’s access to medical records. A patient can review or obtain a copy of their records by submitting, to the physician (covered entity), a request for such in writing or a medical release form. In which case the covered entity can release a “designated record set” of certain personal

The Privacy Rule requires HIPAA covered entities to provide individual upon request, with access to the protected health information about them in one more designated record set maintained by or for the covered entity. This included the right to inspect or obtain a copy or both of PHI to the designated person of the patient choice.