NURS FPX 4040 Assessment 2 Protected Health Information Phi Privacy Security and Confidentiality Best Practice

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX 4040 Managing Health Information and Technology

Prof. Name

Date

Protected Health Information (PHI)

Protected Health Information (PHI) is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) policy legislation that protects patients’ personally identifiable medical data sent or stored in electronic records or communicated or retained in any other form or medium. Individual identifiable health information consists of demographic data acquired from an individual and developed or acquired by a healthcare provider or health plan (Alder, 2023)

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) places a premium on standards that limit the use of protected health information to those who have a legitimate need to know about the patient record. To penalize people who violate confidentiality regulations. This act is critical in providing principles for patient health information privacy, security, and confidentiality. It promotes patient permission for PHI dissemination and patient permission (Rockwern et al., 2021).

Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality

Privacy is the obligation of authorized personnel who use PHI to keep such information private. The privacy rule governs the use and disclosure of PHI. According to HIPAA regulations, all PHI regarding an individual must be kept private. It protects any verbal, textual, and electronic information the patient provides (Moore & Frye, 2019). Sharing a patient’s test results and care plan is a violation of the privacy rule. Security policies are to prevent unauthorized individuals from obtaining PHI.  The HIPAA security rule maintains a patient’s information integrity (Issa et al., 2020).

Mishandling of medical records is a security rule violation. Confidentiality is the safeguarding of personal information. It is a trustworthy communication or consensus-building process between medical professionals and patients. The disclosure and uploading of patients’ photographs and identification information on social media is a violation of the confidentiality regulation (Kahn, 2020).

Social Media Risks for Violation of HIPPA Law

The use of social media and HIPAA requirements are now more easily breached. Regulations must be implemented to protect patients’ data against data breaches. To emphasize the significance of HIPAA, the organization must have a strict disciplinary policy. HIPAA violations resulting in a verbal or written warning are minor violations of rules. HIPAA rule violation results in suspension or temporary removal of an employee from their position to provide time for consideration (Gaia et al., 2020).

Termination in case of compromising patient data security or eroding trust due to violation. Legal and financial penalties in case of serious violation. These penalties are based on breach severity. Cancellation of license due to severe violation impacts employee career prospects (Simone, 2019). In the US, organizations that violate social media policies and HIPAA rules may be penalized for $2.5 million (Szalados, 2021).

Interdisciplinary Collaboration in the protection of Electronic Health Record

It is critical for the safety and confidentiality of patient health information. Interaction across departments, including clinicians, nurses, IT, and cyber security, aids in ensuring the safety of Electronic Health Information (EHR) (Barbieri et al., 2023). Interaction enhances patient care and data safety by bridging the gap between healthcare and information technology. Interdisciplinary collaborations lower the risk of patient health information misuse and medical errors (Vehko et al., 2019). It is crucial for the establishment and maintenance of adequate security protocols. Collaboration improve data integrity and accuracy. Teamwork supports compliance with HIPAA ethical and legal regulations (Lindblad, 2021).

Evidence-Based Strategies to Prevent Violation of HIPAA

Implementation of access control tools like passwords, two-factor authentication, or PINs secures medical data. Encrypt stored information to secure the medical record system. Implementation of rules for social media use. Avoid posting and commenting patient’s information on social media.  Avoid sending PHI-containing SMS texts and sharing electronic PHI on social media (Heath et al., 2022).

Evidence-Based Approaches

Training on security rules for the privacy of medical records equips healthcare staff with the knowledge they need to make accurate decisions regarding patient information. It is also crucial to take the appropriate precautions when handling patient data. Regularly analyzing risk in a healthcare organization helps to recognize and manage potential dangers consciously (Arain et al., 2019).    

Conclusion

The privacy and security of patient information, including medical records and personal data, is essential. HIPAA law provides policies and rules for the protection of protected health information. The use of social media has increased the chances of violating social media policies and HIPAA rules for patient data. Violation of rules results in heavy penalty.

References

Alder, S. (2023, March 12). What is Protected Health Information? 2023 Update. HIPAA Journal. https://www.hipaajournal.com/what-is-protected-health-information/

Arain, M. A., Tarraf, R., & Ahmad, A. (2019). Assessing staff awareness and effectiveness of educational training on IT security and privacy in a large healthcare organization. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 73-81.https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S183275

Barbieri, C., Neri, L., Stuard, S., Mari, F., & Martín-Guerrero, J. D. (2023). From electronic health records to clinical management systems: how the digital transformation can support healthcare services. Clinical Kidney Journal, 16(11), 1878-1884. https://doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfad168

Gaia, J., Wang, X., Yoo, C. W., & Sanders, G. L. (2020). Good News and Bad News About Incentives to Violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): Scenario-Based Questionnaire Study. Jmir Medical Informatics, 8(7), 15880. https://medinform.jmir.org/2020/9/e24243/

Heath, M., Porter, T. H., & Silvera, G. (2022). Hospital characteristics associated with HIPAA breaches. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 15(2), 171-180. https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2020.1870349

NURS FPX 4040 Assessment 2 Protected Health Information Phi Privacy Security and Confidentiality Best Practice

Issa, B. W., Al Akour, I., Ibrahim, A., Almarzouqi, A., Abbas, S., Hisham, F., & Griffiths, J. (2020). Privacy, confidentiality, security and patient safety concerns about electronic health records. International nursing review, 67(2), 218 230. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12585

Kahn, J. H. (2020). Confidentiality and Capacity. Emergency Medicine Clinics, 38(2), 283-296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emc.2020.01.003

Lindblad, T. L. (2021). Ethical considerations in clinical supervision: Components of effective clinical supervision across an interprofessional team. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 14(2), 478-490. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00514-y

Moore, W., & Frye, S. (2019). Review of HIPAA, part 1: history, protected health information, and privacy and security rules. Journal of nuclear medicine technology, 47(4), 269-272. https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.119.227819

 Rockwern, B., Johnson, D., Snyder Sulmasy, L., & Medical Informatics Committee and Ethics, Professionalism and Human Rights Committee of the American College of Physicians. (2021). Health information privacy, protection, and use in the expanding digital health ecosystem: a position paper of the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine, 174(7), 994-998. https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-7639

Simone, D. M. (2019). When is accessing medical records a HIPAA breach?. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 10(3), 34-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(19)30146-2

NURS FPX 4040 Assessment 2 Protected Health Information Phi Privacy Security and Confidentiality Best Practice

Szalados, J. E. (2021). Regulations and Regulatory Compliance: False Claims Act, Kickback and Stark Laws, and HIPAA. The Medical-Legal Aspects of Acute Care Medicine: A Resource for Clinicians, Administrators, and Risk Managers, 277-313. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68570-6_12

Vehko, T., Hyppönen, H., Puttonen, S., Kujala, S., Ketola, E., Tuukkanen, J., & Heponiemi, T. (2019). Experienced time pressure and stress: electronic health records usability and information technology competence play a role. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 19, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-019-0891-z