HCS 335: Patient Privacy Issues
Administrative Ethics Paper
HCS 335
James Thomas
Patient Privacy
Patient privacy has been a major issue within the healthcare field for many years. With the increasing use of medical information technology more and more people are being authorized to view patient health information. Not only do physicians and nurses have access; but this has broadened to include allied health professionals, billing specialists, quality assurance employees, social workers, medical records technicians etc... (Pendrak & Ericon, 1998). All of these healthcare professionals have a duty to take any steps necessary to protect the patient 's right to privacy when it comes to their health information.
Population Affected
Patient privacy issues …show more content…
11). This policy should limit access to and retrieval of patient information, define levels of access by matching data availability to data required to perform each specific job. Basically, this would give each staff member only the required amount of access and therefore control the amount of abuse that occurs. For example, an organization would give the physician complete access to the patient 's chart while limiting the amount of clinical information available to the administrative …show more content…
Medical records consist of private health information that should remain private unless direct written consent is given by the patient. Information technological advances are coming at a rapid pace and the laws designated to protecting the patient 's right to privacy are being surpassed. It is then the responsibility of the healthcare provider to ensure that he or she is doing whatever necessary to protect the patient. It is the responsibility of the healthcare manager to ensure that all staff members are properly trained to handle the PHI that they have access to. All healthcare organizations should take steps to ensure that their organization is doing all that they can to be compliant with guidelines that are stated within federal and state laws, including using safeguards and implementing a formal information management plan. After all, the patient should be comfortable and able to trust those providing healthcare services to him or her enough to provide all pertinent information to be properly diagnosed and treated.
References:
1. AMA-assn.com (2011). Patient Physician Relationship Topics. Patient Confidentiality. Retrieved June 11, 2011, from http://www.ama-assn.com
2. E-Notes.com (2011). Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health. Patient Confidentiality. Retrieved June 10, 2011, from http://www.e-notes.com
3. Pendrak, R. & Ericson, R. (1998, October).
HCS 335
James Thomas
Patient Privacy
Patient privacy has been a major issue within the healthcare field for many years. With the increasing use of medical information technology more and more people are being authorized to view patient health information. Not only do physicians and nurses have access; but this has broadened to include allied health professionals, billing specialists, quality assurance employees, social workers, medical records technicians etc... (Pendrak & Ericon, 1998). All of these healthcare professionals have a duty to take any steps necessary to protect the patient 's right to privacy when it comes to their health information.
Population Affected
Patient privacy issues …show more content…
11). This policy should limit access to and retrieval of patient information, define levels of access by matching data availability to data required to perform each specific job. Basically, this would give each staff member only the required amount of access and therefore control the amount of abuse that occurs. For example, an organization would give the physician complete access to the patient 's chart while limiting the amount of clinical information available to the administrative …show more content…
Medical records consist of private health information that should remain private unless direct written consent is given by the patient. Information technological advances are coming at a rapid pace and the laws designated to protecting the patient 's right to privacy are being surpassed. It is then the responsibility of the healthcare provider to ensure that he or she is doing whatever necessary to protect the patient. It is the responsibility of the healthcare manager to ensure that all staff members are properly trained to handle the PHI that they have access to. All healthcare organizations should take steps to ensure that their organization is doing all that they can to be compliant with guidelines that are stated within federal and state laws, including using safeguards and implementing a formal information management plan. After all, the patient should be comfortable and able to trust those providing healthcare services to him or her enough to provide all pertinent information to be properly diagnosed and treated.
References:
1. AMA-assn.com (2011). Patient Physician Relationship Topics. Patient Confidentiality. Retrieved June 11, 2011, from http://www.ama-assn.com
2. E-Notes.com (2011). Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health. Patient Confidentiality. Retrieved June 10, 2011, from http://www.e-notes.com
3. Pendrak, R. & Ericson, R. (1998, October).