Assignment: Reflections on HIPAA Regulations

If you have gone to a doctors appointment within the last 20 years, you have likely signed a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) form. HIPAA protects a patients mental and physical health information and allows the patient access to records. Under the law, the patient can also distribute those records to other parties. As with mandated reporting, there are exceptions to the HIPAA protection, such as in cases of abuse or public health threats.

In this Assignment, you learn more about HIPAA regulations and reflect on your exposure to HIPAA as a patient.

To prepare, watch the Southside Community Services video listed in this weeks Learning Resources and reflect on how HIPAA informs the interaction between the social worker and the client.

By Day 7

Submit a 2- to 3-page reflection paper in which you:

• Identify two HIPAA regulations for health care providers.
• Describe a time when you have signed a form related to HIPAA (e.g., doctors office)
• Reflect on your knowledge as the consumer on the regulations of HIPAA and how your provider explained your rights. Explain whether or not your provider adequately informed you of your rights?
• Explain how HIPAA supports or doesnt support the NASW Code of Ethics (2008).