Assessment 2: Protected Health Information
Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX4040: Managing Health Information & Technology
Instructor’s Name
August 14th, 2024
Protected Health Information
Ensuring the privacy of residents’ information in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) is important due to the provision of individualized medical care with a focus on residents’ therapy needs. With social media integration among the residents and the confined space that patients stay in for a long time, the risk of inadvertently violating patients’ rights to privacy rises (Ramezani et al., 2022). To be more concrete, sharing photos or statuses about the daily routine, including therapy, does not necessarily violate norms, but not following HIPAA rules tightly can compromise patients’ confidentiality (Boyce et al., 2022 ). The points mentioned in this update will include the importance of PHI protection and general guidelines concerning acceptable use of social media to ensure SNP adherence to HIPAA.
EHI Security, Privacy, and Confidentiality Laws
Legal security, privacy, and confidentiality requirements are critical when handling identifiable and sensitive information within interdisciplinary healthcare teams. Consequently, it is necessary to rely on security, privacy, and confidentiality legislation to safeguard EHI in Direct Intraoperative Diagnosis HTC settings. EHI protection in the United States is anchored to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) where stringent rules are set for the insurers, the healthcare providers, and associated organizations (Joag, 2023). PHI can only be used or disclosed for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations with the patient’s authorization. due to the privacy rule under HIPAA, which puts very limiting constraints on it (Ramezani et al., 2022). This regulation protects patients’ information from being leaked to unauthorized individuals by limiting the availability of PHI only to those who require it for treatment. Nevertheless, the security rule includes administrative and technical safeguards, including encryption, access controls, and periodic assessments to protect EHI against unauthorized access and illegal alteration (Wong et al., 2020).
Expanding on HIPAA, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act refines data security and stimulates the adoption of electronic health records, or EHRs (Reschke, 2024). It introduces more rigid breach notification provisions that require entities to notify patients as well as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of breaches in unprotected health information. Thus, the openness that is afforded by Big Data analytics in the context of patient information ensures swift responses in the case of leakage or loss of such information. HITECH also raises the bar on the fines imposed on noncompliance, compelling healthcare firms to deem data protection paramount and adhere to security policies.
Further, 42 CFR Part 2 applies to patient records involving substance use disorders and offers more protection since such information is considered personal (Sandhu et al., 2023). Being aware of the fact that substance use entails a lot of stigma and patient privacy, this rule disapproves the disclosure of substance use treatment records without the consent of a patient.
Importance of Interdisciplinary Collaboration for EHI Security
Healthcare personnel delivery requires teamwork in handling electronic information health (EHI) (Reschke, 2024). These are people from various professions who interact with EHI, such professions include doctors, nurses, IT experts, and administrators among others. Communication and coordination with the other disciplines help the participant realize the importance of protecting EHI and contribute his/her knowledge toward this goal (Kahn et al., 2022). General risks can also be improved by the formation of teams of general plans and solutions that incorporate technical risks together with pragmatic difficulties, in addition, teams should at least consider views from different angles.
The last advantage that can be pointed out is the emergence of unified security protocols used in the university due to interdisciplinary collaboration. It is self-explanatory that when all the team members are involved in the creation and more so the implementation of these protocols then without doubt the likelihood of these being implemented in the manner intended is boosted (McGarry et al., 2024). This lowers the risk of a breach that stems from negligence or ignorance. Cornerstones are also developed through formal and systematic interdisciplinary meetings and training sessions to ensure the team members are informed on the existing laws, rules and regulations, and practice standards. Doing this learning helps in managing new risks and gives a very good standard or measure of EHI protection.
Likewise, respecting and safeguarding the confidentiality of all information provided by patients makes collaboration fruitful. New medicines demand detailed information about the patient that they are willing to disclose if they ensure their information will not be disclosed to a third party hence enabling doctors and other healthcare practitioners to offer personalized care (Ogunsiji et al., 2023). Therefore, for a sound strategy for protecting EHI, it is essential to have cross-disciplinary collaboration that improves security and compliance, leadership development, and patient satisfaction.
Evidence-Based Approaches to Mitigating EHI Risks
Various reliable methods that ought to be implemented to minimize the risks associated with EHI include data encryption, crucial because it ensures that EHI cannot be accessed and read even when they are in transit or at storage. Requiring different methods of identification before allowing any person to access EHI, MFA significantly reduces chances of unauthorized access particularly if the passwords have been hacked. Before they lead to breaches, it is necessary to carry out periodic security audits and risk assessments that allow for the identification of technical and non-technical loopholes (Ogunsiji et al., 2023).
Staff training is also a continuous process because medical staff members must be updated with threats and how to protect the EHI which reduces chances of breakthroughs via social engineering or phishing (O’Regan et al., 2022). This check eliminates the risks associated with EHI misuse by only allowing those with the necessary permission level, as with the use of RBAC. Moreover, keeping a current incident response plan and ensuring that it is well-coordinated assures that the business is prepared to mitigate losses in the event of a breach since it is already in a position to do so effectively (Bladon et al., 2024). Finally, PETs such as anonymization and pseudonymization ensure the protection of personal data as EHI becomes subject to usage and sharing. Taken together, these strategies provide a comprehensive step-by-step guide to protecting EHI, thus sparing patients and clinicians potential repercussions resulting from data compromise.
Protecting Patient Data: Social Media Guidelines
Since pharmacists’ therapeutics and patient information are best served by healthcare professionals, they must protect patient data when enjoying social media activities (O’Regan et al., 2022). This act makes it clear that PHI has some permitted uses and disclosure for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations with permission on who can or cannot use, transmit, or store it. Some of the offenses under this law especially when they happen on social media receive heavy penalties like fines and possibly a loss of license. Although it seems that they post anything about them online and get away with it, they cannot post any information about the patient on the internet to work within the confines of HIPAA (Bladon et al., 2024). This involves refraining from using names, pictures, and any medical information even on social media, anonymously or pseudonymously because they always refer to the patient who receives care.
Having an intermediary check between the individual social media account and the official social media account further minimizes such slip-ups. It also helps prevent the posting of any private information by unknowingly merely going through the content before sharing it. The consequences arising from failure to follow the laws include demotions, dismissal from the job, and license revocation. If suspected that patients’ information has been disclosed or in case of wrong use of social media, must notify the privacy officer (Nix et al., 2024). It therefore remains imperative to continually sharpen such skills as health care providers to ensure that the data of patients remains confidential and secure at all times. Other than being mandatory and efficiently legal, such characteristics of the procedures are not only an act of law but also an ethic for the safety and confidence of the people we are serving.
NURS FPX 4040 Assessment 2 Conclusion
The maintenance of privacy in handling PHI is crucial in maintaining patient privacy in SNFs more so given the integration of social media. Preserving EHI calls for a multi-disciplinary approach, quality security measures, and staff training consistently with HIPAA and other regulatory measures (McGarry et al., 2024). Organizations can help reduce risks and ensure patient confidentiality and trust by consistently implementing proven strategies such as data encryption, the use of MFA, and risk assessments.
NURS FPX 4040 Assessment 2 References
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