December 31, 2023

HIPAA and Codes of Ethics Discussion Paper

HIPAA and Codes of Ethics Discussion Paper HIPAA and Codes of Ethics Discussion Paper The situation. Healthcare providers need access to patient personal health information wherever patients are present for care. Systems that standardize electronic medical records provide such access, but the risk to privacy that accompanies that access is real, and breaches often make the news.?At the Federal level, the HIPAA Privacy Rule protects personal health information gathered by healthcare providers, but most agree that information needs more protection than HIPAA currently affords. Some believe added protection may be found in the forming and keeping of codes of ethics. A scenario. Mary works in a hospital health information management department, and Maureen, her friend, comes one day to pick up the medical records of a patient who is a client of the lawyer Maureen works for. Maureen, however, has forgotten to bring the clients signed authorization form, though she assures Mary the form, which she saw the patient sign, is at her office. Since Maureens need for the form is urgent and there isnt enough time to return with the form today, Maureen hopes to take the records and return with the form another day. ORDER YOUR PROFESSIONAL PAPER HERE Read the iHealth Coalitions eHealth Code of Ethics, the Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, and with the above scenario in mind, consider the following questions: In light of what the Code and HIPAA say, how might Mary and Maureen best resolve the problem? How might a code of ethics provide personal medical information more protection than HIPAA? In the above code, only one of the eleven sections is explicitly labeled privacy. Do matters covered in other sections play roles in protecting personal medical information? Explain. In what ways, if any, does HIPAA protect personal medical information where codes of ethics do not? Support your answers with examples, clear reasoning, and by citing the Code of Ethics and HIPAA regulation directly. HIPAA and Codes of Ethics Discussion Paper Order Now

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

HIPAA and Codes of Ethics

Introduction

The Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a law that was created, in part, to protect the privacy of patient information. The HIPAA Privacy Rule describes how health care providers must protect their patients’ names, addresses, telephone numbers and medical records. The rule also states that therapists who are business owners should protect clients’ confidential information by following the NBCC Code of Ethics.

The Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was created, in part, to protect the privacy of patient information.

HIPAA is a law that provides privacy protections for patients. HIPAA was created to protect the privacy of patient information, and it applies to healthcare providers who provide services to patients.

The following types of providers are covered under HIPAA:

Providers who are paid by Medicare or Medicaid; for example, doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who treat people with disabilities or chronic conditions like diabetes or cancer. This includes doctors’ offices and hospitals; it also covers pharmacies that dispense medication ordered through these programs.
Providers who provide services directly to individual individuals (like teachers) rather than groups (like schools). For example: private tutors working one-on-one with students at home or online via Skype lessons; personal trainers providing individualized training plans tailored specifically toward each client’s needs (and goals); coaches helping athletes reach their peak performance potential through personalized instruction plans designed around their specific athletic needs.”

The HIPAA law has two sections that pertain to security:

HIPAA has two sections that pertain to security:

The HIPAA Security Rule is about protecting the confidentiality of patient information. This includes any time the healthcare provider shares or discloses his or her patients’ personal health information with anyone outside of their organization, including third parties (like insurance companies).

1. HIPAA Security Rule

HIPAA Security Rule requires that healthcare organizations take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect patient information. The rule applies to all business associates (BA) who handle protected health information (PHI). The rule applies even if the BA is not a covered entity or business associate itself, but rather provides services for one or more covered entities.

The HIPAA Security Rule specifies what types of physical, electronic, and administrative safeguards must be in place at any point where PHI is located or maintained in order for an organization’s compliance with this regulation to be met. For example:

Physical safeguards include keeping paper records separate from electronic ones; storing them securely; having access controls on all storage areas; preventing unauthorized access by anyone not authorized by you to have such access

2. HIPAA Privacy Rule

The HIPAA Privacy Rule is a federal law that protects the privacy of health information.
It applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and to certain health care providers who transmit any health information in electronic form.
The Privacy Rule also applies to certain health information that is transmitted between or among covered entities.

A therapist who is also a business owner is responsible for any employee who might handle sensitive information.

As a business owner, you are responsible for your employees. If a patient asks you to write their prescription or sign a HIPPA waiver form, or if they tell you something about themselves that is confidential and sensitive (e.g., “I have bipolar disorder”), then it is your responsibility to ensure that the information stays private and secure.

If an employee handles sensitive information on behalf of the therapist-business owner client relationship (for example: filling out insurance forms), then this person must also follow all applicable laws regarding privacy and confidentiality when handling such sensitive data.

The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) code of ethics describes how therapists should treat and protect patients’ confidential information.

Therapists should not share any information that is not relevant to the treatment of a patient.
Therapists should be careful about what they write in notes, especially when referring to their own experiences or opinions about mental health issues.
Therapists should be careful about what they say to family members and friends, particularly if these individuals are helping with caregiving duties such as driving clients back home after therapy sessions or providing them with meals during visits at home.
Therapists also need to be cautious when participating in social media sites like Facebook or Twitter; many people post publicly accessible content that can be viewed by anyone with access through search engines like Google or Bing!

Clients’ privacy should be treated with the utmost respect.

You will treat clients’ privacy with the utmost respect.
You will protect their identity at all times.
You will respect their privacy even after they are no longer clients, or if you have reason to believe that a third party may be looking into them (e.g., a new employer).
You should always make sure that your staff members understand this policy and how it applies in different situations.

Conclusion

As a therapist, you should be aware of the HIPAA privacy and security regulations so that you can protect your clients’ information from being used or disclosed in an unauthorized manner. Additionally, as a business owner, it is important for therapists to understand their professional responsibilities as well. The NBCC code of ethics provides guidelines for how to practice when working with sensitive material like this one.

Collepals.com Plagiarism Free Papers

Are you looking for custom essay writing service or even dissertation writing services? Just request for our write my paper service, and we'll match you with the best essay writer in your subject! With an exceptional team of professional academic experts in a wide range of subjects, we can guarantee you an unrivaled quality of custom-written papers.

Get ZERO PLAGIARISM, HUMAN WRITTEN ESSAYS

Why Hire Collepals.com writers to do your paper?

Quality- We are experienced and have access to ample research materials.

We write plagiarism Free Content

Confidential- We never share or sell your personal information to third parties.

Support-Chat with us today! We are always waiting to answer all your questions.