When it comes to individual health and medical data it can be collected, stored, analyzed and distributed in unprecedented quantities and put to diverse uses. Employers utilize health records to minimize their health care and workers compensation costs, as well as to identify employees who may be costly in the future. Payers not only use patient data for claims payment but also for utilization review, underwriting and coverage decisions.
Health care providers have a strong tradition of protecting private health and medical information. In today’s world, traditional method of data locked in filing cabinets is not enough.
Here some of the incidents that necessitated the passage of HIPAA standards and regulations
In Rapid City SID – A medical student took home copies of patients’ psychiatric records to work on a research project. He disposed of the material in the trash basket of a fast food restaurant. And that material was found and given to a newspaper reporter.
In Minneapolis MN – A university health facility sent emails to transplant recipients that revealed the names of hundreds of donors to whom confidentiality had been promised.
In Miami FL – Several hundred hospital workers browsed through the records of a famous patient that had recently come to the facility, even though few of them were actually involved in the case.
In Tampa FL – A county health department worker copied lists of HIV patients, distributed the information to his friends and sent the information to a local newspaper.
HIPAA Privacy Rules and Standards
The HIPAA Privacy rule covers national standards to protect individuals’ medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, health care and those health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically.
The Privacy rule standards address the use and disclosure of individuals’ health information called “Protected Health Information” by organizations subject to the Privacy Rule – called “covered entities”, as well as standards for individuals’ privacy rights to understand and control how their health information is used. Major objective of privacy rule is to ensure that individual’s health information is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high quality health care and to protect the public health.
We all think that Healthcare practices would be rest assured with Regulations, but these kinds of discrepancies cause them a great deal of problems and penalties. Hence, they should enhance proper training and follow the strict guidelines of the federal regulation.
About emPower
emPower e-learning solutions, with offices in US and India provides end-to-end, e-learning services, with strong focus on quality assured online compliance training content for the healthcare professionals. We provide a Learning Management System (LMS) and an array of courses including those mandated by government and other regulatory bodies such as OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), Joint Commission and Red Flag Rule.
