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Security of medical records
Security of medical records
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Describe the responsibility of the medical office specialist to protect all protected health information (PHI).Discuss what is required to disclose patient information to family members, friends, and when ordered by courts or government entities.
Confidentiality is an important issue in the health care industry. A person's medical history can be a powerful weapon in the wrong hands, not to mention a possible source of personal embarrassment. Patients may be reluctant to share personal information with their doctors if they believe that information will become public knowledge. Any breach in trust can seriously hamper a doctor's ability to deliver proper health care services.
To protect doctor-patient confidentiality, the federal government,
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Only discuss medical issues behind closed doors. Always carry patient charts and other medical documents in ways that doesn't display the patient's name. Don't "shoulder surf" -- look over a coworker's shoulder to peek at patient information. Never leave patient charts in places other than the proper receptacles. If you make a note that isn't part of the official patient record, such as jotting down a phone number, destroy it as soon as possible. Always follow the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) guidelines for shredding and disposing of Protected Health Information (PHI). Never carry patient information out of the office unless it's part of your job. Above all, never discuss patient cases or reveal names when talking with friends and family. What happens at the office stays in the office.
Always remember, as a medical assistant, you are the face of your practice. You're probably the first person a patient encounters during a visit, and the first person in whom the patient is expected to confide. Your primary job is to make each patient feel comfortable, safe and at ease. Making sure to protect individual privacy can go a long way toward achieving this
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 offender feeling any malice towards the victim for example gossip and curiosity. Gossip in a medical office can have devastating effects on a health care facility’s reputation. Employees engaging in idle chatter to pass the time can inadvertently be overheard by patients or family members. Simply not using the patient’s name may not be enough if the person overhearing the conversation sees the resemblance. Professional behavior should be exercised at all times and juvenile behavior such as spreading gossip, has no place in a business that relies on its credibility. This rule will impact the way patient medical records are handled because we know the seriousness of it. Hospitals that don’t enforce HIPAA rules will have negative repercussions. The patient can have irreversible damage done to their view on the medical field and that hospital if their information is not treated with care. They may even feel so violated that they bring litigation against the hospital.
For example, both administrative and clinical medical assistants have to practice patient confidentiality, respect, sympathy, courtesy, friendliness, as well as helping out in their community and informing their patients. Medical assistants should also be well aware of a patient’s rights that are established by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) to promote excellent health care services. The patient has many rights, such as the right to medical care- meaning the patient has the right to receive high quality care and treatment but may also deny such treatment, respectful treatment, privacy, confidentiality, identity- a patient has the right to know the name and credibility of their healthcare provider, explanation of care- the patient has the right to be informed of their diagnosis and their treatment, informed consent, and a safe environment. Along with all of this, a medical assistant should have good communication skill, especially if seeking a job as an administrative medical assistant, and be able to work well under stressful situations and with various different people. In other words, a medical assistant needs to have the basics of these characteristics in order to prevail in their work
In association to this, those medical physicians granted the responsibility to act upon these potential laws will have to regain the trust between themselves and the patient and also the patient’s family.
. 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 not related to health care, the requirements regarding written privacy policies for covered entities, the training requirements for medical office employees and the consequences for not following the policy.
Krager, D., & Krager, C. H. (2008). HIPAA for Health Care Professionals. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar.
Doctors, nurses, and medical assistants these people are supposed to ensure our safety and wellbeing, yet a small error can leak private information. That is why HIPAA was enacted in 1996, and became effective in the year 2001. HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA serves to protect you and your medical files. You can decide when and with whom your information can be shared. Also, you can ask for your medical record and make sure it is correct, if it’s not you can file a complaint. HIPAA is valuable to keeping your medical files protected, but you may ask does it really work?
Today, you have more reason than ever to care about the privacy of your medical information. This information was once stored in locked file cabinets and on dusty shelves in the medical records department.
In the modern era, the use of computer technology is very important. Back in the day people only used handwriting on the pieces of paper to save all documents, either in general documents or medical records. Now this medical field is using a computer to kept all medical records or other personnel info. Patient's records may be maintained on databases, so that quick searches can be made. But, even if the computer is very important, the facility must remain always in control all the information they store in a computer. This is because to avoid individuals who do not have a right to the patient's information.
Lastly, Medical assistants are of great help to the physicians they work for. They make it possible for the practitioners to be effective in their practice. Just like all the other practitioners in the medical field, the medical assistants are expected to maintain high standards in the field. For the medical assistants this will include acting on the instructions given by the practitioners and adhering to the code of ethics as set by AAMA. The medical assistants are also expected to make sound decisions when faced with medical dilemmas. All this should be focused on giving the patient quality care.
The guidance explains and clarifies key provisions of the medical privacy regulation, which was published last December (HIPAA, 1996). Guaranteeing the accuracy, security, and protection of the privacy of all medical information is crucial and an ongoing challenge for many organizations. References American Medical Association (2005). Retrieved December 7, 2008, from http://www.ad http://www.ama-assn.org/.
... of potential threats such as unauthorized access of the patient information. Health care leaders must always remind their employees that casual review for personal interest of patients ' protected health information is unacceptable and against the law just like what happened in the UCLA health systems case (Fiske, 2011). Health care organizations need clear policies and procedures to prevent, detect, contain, and correct security violations. Through policies and procedures, entities covered under HIPAA must reasonably restrict access to patient information to only those employees with a valid reason to view the information and must sanction any employee who is found to have violated these policies.In addition, it is critical that health care organizations should implement awareness and training programs for all members of its workforce (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2013).
According to the report provided by the consultant, the employees at this facility were not taking precautions in safeguarding the patient’s health information. Therefore, the employees at this facility were in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). It is important for employees to understand the form of technology being used and the precautions they must take to safeguard patient information.
As a nurse, it is within your role to safeguard the right to privacy for individuals. To ensure that nurses are adhering to this, ethical strategies have been proposed and implemented from a legal and regulatory body.
A norm in society is when an individual sees danger, they are supposed to report it to the authorities, therefore preventing any further damage. Breach of confidentiality is when a nurse shares information about a patient with others who are not authorized to know about the patient's personal information. Due to this, patients are afraid to be honest with their physicians and nurses that are treating them. In order to assure patients’ confidentiality, health professionals created the patient bill of rights to ensure that patient’s personal information is kept safe from outsiders.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA), Confidential Information and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA), and the Freedom of Information Act all provide legal protection under many laws. It also involves ethical protection. The patient must be able to completely trust the healthcare provider by having confidence that their information is kept safe and not disclosed without their consent. Disclosing any information to the public could be humiliating for them. Patient information that is protected includes all medical and personal information related to their medical records, medical treatments, payment records, date of birth, gender, and