Essay On Confidentiality In Health Care

Confidentiality in Health Care

Abstract
The Health Information Portability Accountability Act was enacted to prevent patient’s private health information from being disclosed without authorization. The Health Information Portability Accountability Act has different sections which define what covered entities are, and explain what minimum necessity is in relation to patient’s private health information. This paper also discusses what the penalties may be for different types of private health information breaches under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.
Confidentiality in Health Care
Under the Health Information Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule which applies to covered entities defines covered entities as health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers who transmit any health information electronically in connection with transactions (Miller and Schlatter, 2011). These transactions concern billing and payment for services or insurance coverage. Covered entities can be institutions, organizations, or
In the article “Nurse Pleads Guilty to HIPAA Violations” a licensed practical nurse from Arkansas accessed a patient’s private health information then shared that information with her husband, who called the patient and told the patient he intended to use the information against the patient in a legal proceeding. The nurse was fired from her job and both were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to violate the HIPAA laws. The nurse pled guilty to wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information for personal gain and faces a penalty of ten years in imprisonment, a $250,000 fine or