Using the Foundation of Knowledge Model, I would explain to the vice-president that knowledge acquisition, which occurs through education and research, occurred in our department during a morning huddle, where HIPPA standards were first introduced to members of our department (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012). Through an introduction of what HIPPA meant for healthcare providers, staff learned that HIPPA meant confidentiality of protected health information (“Health insurance,” 2013). This meant staff were to only access patient information for patients they were taking care of and they needed to be cautious with whom and where patient information was discussed. All staff were required to complete a learning module and pass the module and sign a form that they understood what HIPPA meant.
Knowledge dissemination, distribution of the information, immediately went into effect as staff began to spread the importance of complying with HIPPA (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012). For example, if a nurse is walking in the hall and notices a computer logged in, but no one in front of the computer, he/she immediately logs the current user off. Also, staff remind each other of “logging off when you walk off” in our department.
Knowledge generation was achieved once we evaluated and receive feedback on whether or not staff were compliant with HIPPA. For example, since the implementation of HIPPA, any violation of HIPPA is immediately reported to managers. Also, if any bystanders notice a violation of HIPPA, those violations are reported. For example, when we started our interdisciplinary rounds, we stood outside of each patient room and discussed any concerns before walking into a patient room. By the end of the first week, our practice nee...
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...and interdisciplinary rounds, there have been instances reported where patient information discussed in the hallway may be a violation of HIPPA. We immediately changed our practice to ensure patient information remains protected. Beside reporting must be done at the bedside and any additional information must be given in the conference room. Also, interdisciplinary rounds must be done in patients’ rooms, not the hallway. We continue to strive for the best possible outcomes for our patient and will continue to make changes to continue to protect the privacy of our patients.
Thank you,
Heba
Works Cited
Health insurance portability and accountability act. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/formsandpubs/laws/hipaa/Pages/1.00%20WhatisHIPAA.aspx
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2012). Nursing Informatics (2 ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
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.
– Health plans; – Health care clearinghouses;. – Health care providers who transmit health information in electronic form for certain standard transactions. Even though HIPAA was signed into law over seven years ago, its effects are mostly being felt now. This is because of its schedule of compliance. * 10/16/2002 - Transactions and code sets * 4/14/2003 – Privacy Rule * 4/14/2003 – Business Associates * 4/20/2005 – Security Rule This delay stems from a provision in the original act stating that if Congress did not specify certain regulations by the end of 1999, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had to do it.
Hebda, T. & Czar, P. (2013). Handbook of Informatics for Nurses & Healthcare Professionals. (5th Edition). Upper Saddle River. : N.J: Pearson Education
“The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 made it illegal to gain access to personal medical information for any reasons other than health care delivery, operations, and reimbursements” (Shi & Singh, 2008, p. 166). “HIPAA legislation mandated strict controls on the transfer of personally identifiable health data between two entities, provisions for disclosure of protected information, and criminal penalties for violation” (Clayton 2001). “HIPAA also has privacy requirements that govern disclosure of patient protected health information (PHI) placed in the medical record by physicians, nurses, and other health care providers” (Buck, 2011). Always remember conversations about a patient’s health care or treatment is a violation of HIPAA. “All PHI is included in the privacy requirements for example: the patient’s past, present or future physical or mental health or condition; the provision of health care to the individual, or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to the individual, and that identifies the individual or for which there is a reasonable basis to believe it can be used to identify the individual” (Buck, 2011). Other identifiable health information would be the patient’s name, address, birth date and Social Security Number (Keomouangchanh, 2011). (Word count 197)
US Congress created the HIPAA bill in 1996 because of public concern about how their private information was being used. It is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which Congress created to protect confidentiality, privacy and security of patient information. It was also for health care documents to be passed electronically. HIPAA is a privacy rule, which gives patients control over their health information. Patients have to give permission any health care provider can disclose any information placed in the individual’s medical records. It helps limit protected health information (PHI) to minimize the chance of inappropriate disclosure. It establishes national-level standards that healthcare providers must comply with and strictly investigates compliance related issues while holding violators to civil or criminal penalties if they violate the privacy of a person’s PHI. HIPAA also has boundaries for using and disclosing health records by covered entities; a healthcare provider, health plan, and health care clearinghouse. It also supports the cause of disclosing PHI without a person’s consent for individual healthcare needs, public benefit and national interests. The portability part of HIPAA guarantees patient’s health insurance to employees after losing a job, making sure health insurance providers can’t discriminate against people because of health status or pre-existing condition, and keeps their files safe while being sent electronically. The Privacy Rule protects individual’s health information and requires medical providers to get consent for the release of any medical information and explain how private health records are protected. It also allows patients to receive their medical records from any...
...proactive. With the way that HIPAA was drafted, then add the possible penalties for violators, lead physicians and medical facilities to withold information from individuals who have a right to it. After reviewing the rules of the HIPAA, the legislation found health care providers were unsure of their legal privacy responsibilities and often responded with an overly guarded approach to disclosing information. To date these rules are still confusing and need to made clearer.
Janet’s responsibility is to be in the know of all the policies. procedures, and processes. The manager is responsible for coordinating with the OHSA team and setting up training and meetings to ensure that all departments are in compliance with the standards. As part of our training we have annual testing that involves taking a series of computerized tests that addresses staff safety issues. Twice a year there are mock visit that are conducted by the OHSA team to ensure that all employees are on the same page. The feedback is provided through reports t...
Some of the things that HIPAA does for a patient are it gives patients more control over their health information. It sets boundaries on the use and release of health records. It establishes appropriate guidelines that health care providers and others must do to protect the privacy of the patients’ health information. It holds violators accountable, in court that can be imposed if they violate patients’ privacy rights by HIPAA. Overall HIPAA makes it to where the health information can’t b...
The Key points of this article is to show the consequences when violating HIPAA and to show how the Office of Civil Rights is taking action to try and secure the patient's information. The
In conclusion, technology has changed the world, as we knew it. Positive and negative come with change. The goal of the ACA, HIPPA, and EHRs is achieve positive patient outcomes, while protecting the integrity, trust and confidentiality, and decreasing health care cost. Privacy is a fundamental right of a patient, and nurses are expected to maintain confidentiality (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014). A breach in confidentiality will result in lack of trust between nurse and patients. As a nurse, it is my responsibility to ensure my patients privacy, and to provide nursing care that is patient centered, not technology centered.
My reflection is to learn from this article and apply what i read to the real world when i become apart of the healthcare field and to summarize this article, let me just say don't violate HIPAA. It's not something you want to deal with, its difficult and not good for you and your career if you do
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.
Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2010). Essentials of Nursing Research (7th ed): Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Potter, P. A., & Perry, A. G. (2009). Fundamentals of nursing (Seventh ed.). St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby Elsevier.
Informatics has integrated itself into the nursing practice daily. Sensmeier (2010) states, “Nursing informatics is known today as the "specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice." A main part of a nurse’s job is gathering data and turning it into information that all of the healthcare takers can use. For example, a nurse must take vital signs as part of their “data” and in turn put it into the computer system as information. This information is used to help care for the patient. Informatics impacts a nurse’s duties because of the technology utilized each day. The use of this technology developed transforms the nursing career because it improves patient safety, quality, and efficiency of care delivery (Sensmeier, 2010). Within the technology, nursing care is ultimately impro...