HIPAA And Privacy

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The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law designed to protect the patients sensitive health information known as Protected Heath Information (PHI). In 2009, HIPAA was expanded and strengthened by Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH ACT). A PHI is defined as any information that can be used to identify a patient, which includes living or diseased. Patient’s health information is confidential. An employee can access or disclose PHI when it is part of employee’s job duties. It is not acceptable for an employee to access this information out of curiosity even if it does not cause any harm. Improper use and disclosure of sensitive information can result in identity …show more content…
Nurses have a unique role in protecting patient’s privacy and confidentiality, technology should be used to enhance and augment this unique role. HIPAA provides standards of conduct, therefore when a nurse fails to comply with HIPAA, it is considered as negligent. Information technology should be used to enhance provision of therapeutic, safe and effective nursing care based on individual patient need. Taking appropriate security measures to protect patient privacy and confidentiality is an important responsibility of nurses (McEwen & Dumpel, 2011). Nurses need to secure their access with strong passwords and should not share this passwords to anyone. They should practice the security measures such as logging of and locking the system when they are away from the desk or not using the computer. They should share the patient information to authorize personal only. Nurses must follow HIPAA-related policies and procedures outlined by their employers and take every action to prevent unauthorized people from viewing or having access to protected patient health data. Periodical training will improve nurses understanding about HIPAA Rules. A statement of acknowledgement and understanding of HIPAA privacy rule must be signed by staff before accessing any patient information is important to safeguard PHI. This reminder will reinforce their practice of comply with HIPAA rules. Patient confidentiality is a sacred trust and nurses are important in ensuring that organizations create an environment to safeguard patients’ rights to
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