Examine the concepts that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act aims to establish? Creating confidentiality systems within and beyond healthcare facilities.

Paper Outline

Prince Boateng

American Military University

ITMG 281

Professor Baugh

3/18/2023

Outline

Thesis statement:

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that mandated the development of national standards to guard against the disclosure of sensitive patient health information without the patient's awareness or consent. The foundational patient privacy legislation in the United States of America, HIPAA, is making an effort to keep up with this new world as it continues to grow and expand in the healthcare and technology sectors. The impacts of HIPAA on patient information protection will be examined in this paper.

1. Examine the concepts that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act aims to establish?

· Creating confidentiality systems within and beyond healthcare facilities.

· Keeping protected health information private.

· To limit the use of protected health information to those with a “need to know.”

· To penalize those who do not comply with confidentiality regulations.

2. Analyze the nature of data that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Actprotect?

· Written, paper, spoken, or electronic data

· Transmission of data within and outside a healthcare facility

· Applies to anyone or any institution involved with the use of healthcare-related data

3. Describe the types of individuals that are protected underthe Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act?

· All persons working in a healthcare facility or private office

· Students

· Non-patient care employees

· Health plans for instance insurance companies

· Billing companies

· Electronic medical record companies

4. Discuss the possible challenges that are encountered when maintaining patient confidentiality under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

· Lack of Regulations and Policies to Support Health Information Systems

· Lack of financial resources

· Unable to secure information access due to the growth of technology

· Unable to develop models, methods, and tools to enable risk assessment

5. What are the legal limitations that allow healthcare workers to violate patient confidentiality without consent?

· Gunshot wound

· Stab wound

· Injuries sustained in a crime

· Child/Elderly abuse

· Infectious, communicable, or reportable diseases

6. Analyze the difference betweenHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Actprivacy rules, use, and disclosure of information?

· Use: How data is put to use in a hospital setting

· Disclosure: How information is shared outside a health care facility

· Privacy rules: Patients' written consent is required before their confidential information is used or disclosed.

7. Discuss the five rules that have been put in place to improve the efficiency of the health care system and maintain patient information confidentiality.

· Privacy Rule

· Transactions and Code Sets Rule

· Security Rule

· Unique Identifiers Rule

· Enforcement Rule.

8. Discuss the penalty for violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

· Criminal penalty

· Civil penalty

9. Discuss the access of individuals to public health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

· Right to access

· Request for access and timely action

· Provision of access

· Denial of access

References

“Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 June 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/hipaa.html.

“Hipaa Security Rule.” NIST, 21 July 2022, https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/security-health-information-technology/hipaa-security-rule.

Top 10 Tips for Cybersecurity in Health Care. https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/Top_10_Tips_for_Cybersecurity.pdf.

HIPAA Journal. “New HIPAA Regulations in 2023.” HIPAA Journal, 9 Mar. 2023, https://www.hipaajournal.com/new-hipaa-regulations/.