Carolyn Ervin
HCS/335
Christine Singel
Patient privacy is one of the largest challenges that we have in these industries of health care. There are many serious issues that can come from violating a patient privacy. Back in the early 19th century, there was not a law that protected the patients’ privacy are rights. When President Bill Clinton was in the office he created the “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and it included fraud and abuse control, health insurance portability, and group health plan requirements (Physicians Billing Associates International 2006). This was created only to help protect patients’ medical records, and personal health records worldwide. Basically, in the future this can help the healthcare workers to have control over the patients’ information.
There are three issues that facing patients’ privacy today such as, lack of trust in the system, gaps in the legislation, and lack of patient control over electronic data. Furthermore, patients’ healthcare information must not ever be used without having proper consent forms by the patients. But, there are people who try to seek out health information such as, the media especially, if the patient is in the public eye, are even when the patient is in a legal or public health issue, but, the patient rights must be protected. When the “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed in 1996 by the Congress however, that gave the individuals much understanding of patients privacy but, it was a few issues with the public ("HIPAA Violations and Enforcement", 1995). Just to think having your information handed to someone you did not give consent to have, and this information has your health problems. It is so good that the Department of Health and Human Services presented the privacy rule to have all patients’ information protected from the public and others("HIPAA Violations and Enforcement", 1995). Also, the laws are sure that confidentiality, data security, and date integrity are secured by HIPAA privacy rule. Furthermore, when you work as a healthcare worker all day long we are handed private information, and as our duty we are to protect it. But, sometime we can rush through our work, and can get comfortable with the patients’ medical information, and as a healthcare worker you can easy forget how important it is to keep information private, and secure. It can be highly recommended to have a re-cap of the “HIPPA” to fully let the healthcare workers know how important it is to protect a patient confidentiality. This ethical and legal issue pertain to the patient confidentiality can start, and maintain a patients’ trust ("HIPAA Violations and Enforcement", 1995). January 2, 2015 it was a television show that broadcast a patient death without the family permission. According to "Dying in The E.R., and on TV without His Family's Consent" (2015), “there was a woman whom name was Anita Chanko, she seen her husband get hit by a sanitation truck.” No one given the ABC television show to broadcast Mrs. Chanko husband treatment, and are broadcast his last moments leading up to his death. This kind of information is only to be shared with the patient and whom designated under federal law that is known as “HIPAA.” But, within the past years since this law has passed, there have been hospitals, and doctors that has put in place rules that must protect patient privacy. There are hospitals that warn the workers, and staff members to not discuss on elevators any patients’ conditions. It is lawful, and ethical task to keep personal information confidential regarding the patient. When you become an administrator it is very vital for you to follow the laws, and policies as well as the healthcare policy, the laws, and the ethical values. Your main tasks is to care for the patient, and the privacy of the patient. However, there are numerous predicted