...Releasing Protected Health Information Chasity Halfhill HCR/210 May 24, 2015 Courtney Werkheiser Established by the U.S. Congress in 1996 and made effective July 1, 1997, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a group of regulations working against abuse and fraud in health insurance and the delivery of health care. HIPAA’s purpose also includes improving the health care system’s effectiveness and efficiency, providing for the continuation of health insurance coverage, and delivering consequences for organizations and individuals who do not comply with HIPAA regulations (Highmark, 2007). Different representatives and agencies can request, with or without patients consent, patients protected health information (PHI). PHI is information that is connected to an individual and includes name, telephone number, address, date of birth, social security number, name of employer, and/or Medicaid identification number (Green and Bowie, 2005). Many situations arise when the government has the legal obligation or right to a patients medical records. For example, state agencies are required to keep records of deaths and births. They must also maintain registries of people who have received a diagnosis of a serious illness like cancer...
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...Tonette Petties Releasing Protected Health Information July 31, 2011 HCR 210 Jacquelin Joffary Releasing Protected Health Information The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act of 1996 or HIPAA, was put in place as an attempt to reform health care during the Clinton administration by making it possible for workers, of any profession, to change jobs regardless if the worker or any members of their family, have a pre-existing medical condition, decreasing paperwork which is associated with the processing of health claims, and by reducing health care abuse and fraud, and by assuring the privacy and security of health information. HIPAA’s standards for privacy of individually identifiable health information or privacy rule includes restrictions which protect the confidentiality and security of health information, and determines a criterion to protect the confidentiality of individuality identifiable health information that is maintained or transmitted through electronic means in association with certain administrative and financial transactions such as electronic means in association with certain administrative and financial transactions such as electronic transfer of health insurance claims. The covered entity, in most cases, is required to obtain an individual’s authorization prior to disclosing any health information. And in most circumstances the patient or a legal representative of the patient controls the disclosure of PHI to any third party. However...
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...Releasing Personal Health information By: Serena O’Horo HCR 210 In order to fully understand when it is ok for government agencies, legal agencies or representatives, and research groups to release information with or without patient consent, we need to have a full understanding of what protected health information is. Protected health information also known as PHI, is any type of information such as the patients name, date of birth, or social security number, that can be used to identify the patient. Protected health information can also include; telephone numbers, address, employer information, insurance ID numbers (includes Medicaid and Medicare), and the patient’s medical record file number. Protected health information must never be given out without the consent of the patient. Patients must fill out the paper consent form and sign and date the paperwork in order for the information to be released. HIPAA provided the guidelines that must be followed in order for the form to be used for authorization. According to the AMA website, a valid release typically includes the” patient’s name and other identifying information, the address of the health care professional/institution, description of the information that is being released, the identity of the party that the information is being sent to, language authorizing the release of the information, the signature of the patient or authorized individual, and the time period for which the release remains valid...
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...Protected Health Care Information is to maintain and protect patient’s information from being disclosed to another person such as patient, co workers and agencies. Personal Health Information is not always require to have a consent from a patient, law enforcement research purposes and workers compensation would need a patients consent to agree or disagree with releasing personal information. Government Agencies: Or any provider would have to have a written consent to obtain any information on a patient, this would include all government agencies such as Social Services and Disability. Legal agencies and representatives: Can release and Personal History Information on patients that have experienced any kind of domestic abuse or any kind of neglect. This would only be done if there would be no chanced of putting the patient in any kind of danger, law enforcement may acquire the Personal History Information. The reports can be directly on locating suspects, injuries on suspects and times and dates; law enforcement would not be able to receive any information without consent on DNA or anything with bodily fluids. Research groups: Allows certain doctors to obtain patients files for research purposes only, they can use and resend information to other providers or researchers, this would not require a patient’s signature for the research that is being done with their information. Although the providers would be using patient’s medical information for research their identities would...
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...Affordable Care Act and the Impact on Quality of Care A steady stream of information has flooded our media sources talking about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) for several years now. This act signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010 has been one of the biggest steps towards a comprehensive health care reform for all Americans. The fundamental goals of the ACA are to decrease the cost of health care, increase the quality of health care services and make health care accessible to all, particularly the uninsured (Williams, 2013). The increase of individuals that will be soon be insured will have a huge impact on the existing structure of our health care system, especially the quality of care that can be provided to patients along with the implementation or improvements that are being made to the electronic health record systems being used (or implemented) in hospitals or other health care settings. There have been many critics and supporters of the ACA since it was signed into law in 2010. One of the most significant changes being discussed is the requirement for all individuals to have health insurance either provided by their employer or by purchasing an individual insurance plan; all individuals are required to have health insurance by January 1, 2014 or pay tax penalties that will be imposed. Individual health insurance plans will be available through a state-based American Health Benefit Exchange (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2013). These exchanges...
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...improve health record quality. What are AHIMA’s Mission, Vision and Values? AHIMA leads the health informatics and information management community to advance professional practice and standards.AHIMA is working to promote this mission through: Informatics: Transforming data into Health Intelligence Leadership: Developing HIM leaders across all healthcare sectors Information Governance: Being recognized as the health industry experts in information governance Innovation: Increasing thought leadership and evidence-based HIM research Public Good: Empowering consumers to optimize their health through management of their personal health information AHIMA … leading the advancement and ethical use of quality health information to promote health and wellness worldwide • AHIMA is the worldwide professional association of recognized leaders in health information management, informatics, heath data technology, and innovation. • AHIMA proactively promotes the technological advancement of health information systems that enhance the delivery of quality healthcare. • Based on AHIMA’s Code of Ethics and applicable law, AHIMA will promote the ethical and appropriate use of health information, and its members will ascribe to and conduct themselves in accordance with the Code of Ethics as part of their professional responsibility. • AHIMA recognizes that quality health and clinical data are critical resources needed for efficacious healthcare and works to assure that the health information...
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...Administrative Ethics Paper Heather Simmons HCS/335 September 19, 2011 Claudia Haywood Administrative Ethics Paper Health care organizations are responsible for the privacy and proper handling of people’s personal medical and financial information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has been set into place to set the standards to organizations on how to handle patient information and how to deal with any situation that may arise to the best interest of the patient and the organization. There are situations that will arise, and the organization must be prepared to handle it. An instance may arise when the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may have to get involved. The HHS is an organization designed to help enforce the HIPAA rules and regulations and make sure organizations are in compliance with HIPAA. Recently, a major health care organization in Massachusetts, The General Hospital Corporation and Massachusetts General Organization Inc. (Mass General), settled to pay the U.S. Government $1,000,000 because of a HIPAA violation. Documents containing protected health information (PHI) were lost and never recovered from an employee losing a folder containing 192 patient’s records. The employee took the records from the hospital and while riding the subway returning back to work, the employee left the records on the train. The investigation of the missing records was started from a patient discovering their record was lost and...
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...Health Information Tech. By: Shequita Kelly Table of contents: Career OverviewTraining, Qualifications, and AdvancementEmploymentJob OutlookEarnings/ Works Cited Introduction I chose to research the profession of an health information technician. I chose this profession because I like working with technology and want a career in healthcare. I am also detail-oriented, organized and interested in science and medicine. I believe that a job as a health information technician could be the right fit for me. My paper will inform you on the advantages of following a career in the health information technician career field. First of all, this one of the few jobs in the medical industry that has no hands on contact with patients. Another advantage is the wages that can be made and the benefits provided by employers. The last point to be made is that the employment rate is expected to grow it fastest ever in the years to come. The first advantage that will be discussed is the work environment and the different specialties. This job is done mainly inside the comforts of an office, at a desk. The majority of the work is mainly done on a computer. Even though most of the work is done on a computer there is still some work that is done over the phone and paper work that may need to be filed. A health information technician has no hands-on contact with patients what so ever. People in this field tend to work the standard 40 hour work week, with all national...
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...Healthcare Information Systems Management Name Institution Advantages and Disadvantages of Electronic Health Records In the modern world, every sector aspires to adopt computerization. The health sector is not an exemption and I would state that the health sector has made tremendous steps to adopt the electronic health records (Gungor, 2011). Electronic health records has some advantages and disadvantages as explained below. The Benefits of Electronic Health Records Reduction in Human Errors It is eminent that the electronic medical records have played a very vital role in reducing the chances of human errors in maintaining the health records. The health records that are created by electronic data are in electronic form. They are not stored in the files as it was the case with the old record keeping methods. There is less handling of electronic health records as compared to the manual health records (Gungor, 2011). This eliminates the chances of human error which occur when incompetent persons handle health records. Errors of misplaced files are eliminated. Safety and Security Electronic medical records provide a safe and secure way of storing information. Medical records are very essential and have to be stored safely. Electronic medical records can be duplicated easily and stored in computer systems (Gungor, 2011). This is unlike the paper files which can easily get lost, or damaged by natural disasters or even stolen...
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...Having accurate and timely information available to medical personnel is critical in providing quality healthcare. With the increased demand of mobilizing health care information, health information exchanges (HIEs) were established. The healthcare information exchange was designed to allow patient information be electronically accessible across an organization, region, community or hospital system. (1) The initial concept of HIE was to reduce cost of patient care, improve speed, quality and safety of medical information. (2) Background Over the past few year’s health information technology landscape has experienced rapid change. In the 1990s Regional and community Health Information Organizations (RHIOs) were created in many states. These RHIOs are the building blocks in developing a national network. The Office of National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology was created in 2004. The ONC is currently collaborating with RHIOs in an effort to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the exchange of health information. (4) Since there are multiple exchanges, varying standards and architecture, the ability to establish uniform data and transmission standards has been difficult. Thus the ONC is still in the process of collaborating working on developing standards and compliance monitoring programs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has supported state and regional coordination of health care IT systems for years...
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...Health Information Exchange (HIE) Outline Discuss the history of HIE, current challenges, and ways to overcome them. 1. History of HIE a. When did it begin? The Health Information exchange really took off with the advent of computers and their ability to engage in communicating with one another. The Hartford Foundation initiated community health management information systems through grants to seven states and cities in 1990. The community health management information systems were a community means to healthcare assessment. 2. The Challenge b. How is health information currently exchanged? There are currently three key forms of health information exchange: Directed Exchange – ability to send and receive secure information electronically between care providers to support coordinated care Query-based Exchange – ability for providers to find and/or request information on a patient from other providers, often used for unplanned care Consumer Mediated Exchange – ability for patients to aggregate and control the use of their health information among providers c. Privacy and security concerns The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' HIPAA requires HIEs to have privacy and security policies and procedures in place to safeguard health information when it is exchange. Privacy and security considerations include the following: * data-sharing agreements among the providers and between the providers and the HIE are all in place...
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...Health Information Technician Health information technicians work from behind the scenes of healthcare. Health Information Technology is an emerging, growing field in medicine, offering many career opportunities. They make it possible for healthcare providers to better manage patient care. Working in health information technology is a great way to enter the workforce in the growing healthcare industry. A health information technician is a unique job because it doesn’t require direct patient care. They collect, organize, and analyze data used in healthcare. In hospitals, doctor’s offices, clinics, and insurance companies, they ensure the accuracy and security of medical records. The purpose of this research is to identify the requirements for a Health Information Technician in the United States. Secondary research includes a review on numerous job related websites, library research, and textbooks. The research contains the following parts: Education, Licensing and/or Certifications, Credentials, Salary Range, Job Opportunities, and Job Growth. Primary research focuses on questionnaires and surveys about this specific topic. The limitations of research were due to time management and a lack of face-to-face interviews. Education The type of Health Information Technician degree or certification depends on the desired career path pursued by the individual. A high school diploma is necessary for admission to a college level program in this field. Some individuals already working...
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...It is not an understatement to say that the typical Health Information Management (HIM) area plays a critical role in the revenue cycle, largely due to the fact that the revenue cycle begins and ends with medical records (Anderson & Underwood, 2005). The term revenue cycle covers all events that take place in the patient care process that permits the organization to receive payment for the services rendered, and it is important to be aware that this is heavily reliant upon data (Dunn, 2009). In order to fully appreciate the participation of HIM in the revenue cycle process, it is imperative to first gain an understanding of who the key players are, and to summarize the flow of activities that comprises the revenue cycle of a healthcare facility. The key players in hospital revenue cycle management are Administration, Finance, Patient access, Health information management (HIM), Patient accounting, and Clinical services, which includes physicians, diagnostic services, and therapeutic services. Administration sees to strategic goals and operational efficiency and effectiveness. Finance deals with cash flow and contract management. Patient access is responsible for data integrity, demographic and financial data, insurance verification, and pre-certification. Clinical services is responsible for documentation of services, as well as documentation and recording of charges. Health information management takes charge of coding, abstracting, and data validation. Finally, Patient accounting...
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...IM/IT Governance and Decision Rights Give five different examples of simple systems and include the input(s), conversion process, and output(s)? Ensure that there is some feedback between your examples. Appointment –scheduling process of an ambulatory care center as a simple system. Inputs to the system consist, of appointment request from patients; physician schedules; and clinic resources, including personnel, set of actions; the scheduling clerks collect information from patents, match patient requirements to available time slots, and make appointment. Output of this simple system becomes the input for several other functional systems of the clinic, such as, medical records, patient accounting, and others. The conversion process includes a set of actions; scheduling clerks collect information from patients, match requirements to available time slots, and make appointments. The feedback will occur in the form of adjusted information on the number of time slot available as patients are scheduled for the clinic. (Austin and Boxerman’s, 2007). Admission- the admissions representative works in a team environment to facilitate admissions recruitment and the registration processes for that specific ambulatory care center. This position requires heavy outbound call volume, appointment scheduling, and handling of telephone, mail-in, walk-in, and internet-based (Alpine-college, 2009). The output for this simple system also becomes the input for several other functional systems...
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...Indiana Health Information Exchange Health Information Exchange Organization Mallory L. Origliosso HSM 330: Health Services Information Systems Professor Coleman-Card Devry University May 16, 2013 Indiana Health Information Exchange Health information exchange organizations are places that provide safe, timely, efficient, effective and equitable patient-centered care. These organizations provide the ability to move clinical information electronically. This information is shared between healthcare organizations and providers. By exchanging this information electronically, it is in efforts to improve healthcare safety and quality. Most health information organizations are known as regional health information organizations (RHIOs), for example, Indiana is a regional RHIO. The Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE) is a non-profit organization that was formed by the Regenstrief Institute, private hospitals, local and state health departments, BioCrossroads, and other organizations in Indiana (Indiana Health Information Exchange, 2013). This organization connects over 90 hospitals, rehabilitation centers, healthcare providers, community health clinics and long-term care facilities. It serves about six million people and over 25,000 physicians throughout the country. According to the Indiana Health Information Exchange website, it’s vision is to establish a model of health information exchange for the rest of the country, create unparalleled research capabilities...
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