Important features of the HIS, including alerts for review of the patient’s medical allergies prior to acknowledging an ordered medicine, protects the general patient population by providing patient-centered information each and every time an order is entered for medication. B1.2 The Health Care of Specific Patient Populations Through the data analysis component of an HIS, the care provided can be evaluated. For instance, specifically for the emergency department, reports can be generated and reviewed. Patients that arrive with chest pain should have an electrocardiogram (ECG) within ten minutes of arrival, and patients presenting with stroke symptoms should have a computerized tomography (CT) scan completed and resulted within …show more content…
Also, the system must be tested regularly to ensure functions are working appropriately. B2.2. Data Backup and Recovery The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) Security Rule and the Health Information Technology for Economics and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act require patient data to be regularly backed up and recoverable, stored off site, and must be encrypted during transmission. (Chaput, 2012). Collectively, the guidelines ensure the appropriate handling, storage, and availability of protected health information. Organization can face severe penalties if a breach occurs with the security of protected patient information. The HIS incorporates audit capabilities to monitor how, when, and by whom protected patient information is accessed; allowing organizations to maintain control and to ensure the security of the patients’ information. B3. Protection of Patient Privacy Safety features incorporated into an HIS to protect patient information include, but are not limited to: access to protected information limited to only those who need access, password utilization for those who need access, automatic sign-off to limit availability of protected information, placement of devices with protected information, firewalls and antivirus software to prevent intrusion into system, encryption use while transmitting protected information, and audit capabilities to monitor who is accessing the protected information. Through security features, the system
In the health care business, there are certain standards and laws that have been put in place to protect our patients and their personal health information. When a health care facility fails to protect their patient’s confidential information, the US Government may get involved and facilities may be forced to pay huge sums of money in fines, and risk damaging their reputation.
Lately I have been hearing a lot about security of patient’s health records and how people are losing their jobs behind accessing information that they have no need to be in. It got me to wondering just how secure our personal information is from prying eyes and how who is alerted when these prying eye are in information that doesn’t concern them. So, when I ran across this article “Security Audits of Electronic Health Information” and “HIPAA Security Rule Overview” it caught my eye and curiosity on how they might work hand in hand when it comes to protecting what information is accessed by personnel. So, I choose these articles to get more information on this topic.
With growing scrutiny in healthcare and a record number of breaches increasing at an alarming rate, healthcare organizations are taking preventive measures in order to avoid breaches and possible fines. However, healthcare organizations are confused on what measures they need to take in order to protect healthcare information
The Health Insurance and Accountability Act (HIPAA) prevents patient health information from being sent un-encrypted over the Internet. This ensures that hackers won’t be able to read your records when they are transmitted. The problem lies with the fact that the law does not require your information to be encrypted when stored locally. This means that whoever has access to a computer with your medical information on it also has access
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) secures protected health information (PHI) from unsanctioned access. PHI comprises any identifiable facts regarding a patient that may be composed of their address, name, and medical records number. HIPAA offers regulations that are needed for enhanced data security that is increasingly distinct to the health care industry. Usually, patients are the main
access or use of patient information, detect threats and intrusion attempts, and assist with evaluating the effectiveness of WHINs security policy (AHIMA, 2011, p. 46).
HIPAA and HITECH lay out strict standards governing information security and privacy of patient information. While HIPAA/HITECH may be a boon to the security of healthcare information, they also throw up a number of challenges like high costs, tracking regulatory changes, extensive documentation and several others. HITECH is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, which brings additional compliance standards to healthcare organizations. It is directly related to HIPAA, and was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.EHR systems can also offer increased patient privacy & security when compared to traditional paper records. Encrypted electronic patient records can be protected against unauthorized
Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the protection of patient’s private health information. It’s very pertinent to the patients that their personal information is being kept privately away from unauthorized viewers. Patients are allowed to have access to their own health records if they request them. Workers that has access to protected health information are required by law to secure all information in a file and not share with anyone any information that is not relevant to them. You should always know whom to disclosed the proper protected health information to when necessary. There are safeguards that can help with ensuring the security and protection of the protected health information, while the information is being transmitted or stored in its proper place.
The product will the HIPAA compliant with encryption of personal health records. SSL certificates will be used to for communication and transmission of information. Firewalls be set up on data centers to protect from any breaches (Selfridge and Sutherland, 2014). “Routine risks assessment” will be conducted on regular basis to ensure that patient portal is safe and secured (Selfridge and Sutherland, 2014). Staff members will also be thoroughly educated on the use of portal and how to prevent data breaches and how to protect patient information. Patients will be rest assured that their data is secured with proper security check points in
The significance of patient privacy and the security of confidential information are increasingly vital given the approval of electronic health records. Healthcare providers have recognized striking prices due to security threats and subsequent breaches. According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2002), under the Privacy Rule healthcare establishments must establish protections that establish procedures and rules that guarantee least levels of privacy in relation to patient information. When violations are recognized, it is required that a compliant be created by the individual or unit experiencing the violation. In the complaint, the name of the person who participated in the violation, in addition to the nature of the violation, must be comprehensive. The filing of the complaint initiates an investigation by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under HIPAA values (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). The establishment of a procedure related to privacy violations has resulted in many cases relating to electronic data breaches. Next is a consideration of two such cases to demonstrate the role of privacy in regards to HIPAA and electronic health database breaches.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was intricately designed to provide not only a more efficient health care system but also as a protection for private patient information and data. With the widespread use of technology and computers in hospitals, the availability of patient information, their health portfolio, and their previous care has greatly improved the efficiency of health care. However, this also means that there is greater leeway for that information to be lost and/or shared without patients consent.
Understanding the importance of access controls and audit controls are two of the main steps for implementing a successful compliance plan within all healthcare organizations. Three of the important steps in addressing ways to maintain and utilize the access controls are authentication, authorization, and audit (Gelzer, Acker, & Schneider, 2008). Authentication is used differently within the healthcare organization on how they create the access to all credentialed users to the data in a patient’s PHI. Authorization is assigned to all the users on when and how they are allowed to access specific data within a patient’s PHI. Lastly, it is the process of an audit trail that
Preparedness is the key for any system implementation, whether it is technologically prepared, personnel being trained and prepared, or facilities being updated, a quality backup plan, etc. One should be able to guarantee smooth execution to those concerned and always have a contingency plan for any incidents. For anything health related, privacy is always the number one concern; the federal government has become the voice of these patients and placed laws to protect them, i.e. HIPAA. When dealing with a health information technology system and to gather personal sensitive data, one must have in place security protocols to ensure the protection of patient’s privacy. Methods such as encryption will be used to transmit information and for access extra sensitive biometrics could be used. Another reassurance to the group would be the use of release forms given and explained to every patient. These would be used so that the patients involved are informed of who, what, when, where, and why their information will be used or using their information. It would also educate the group about the importance of sharing the data to the agency; once the group has understood the importance of the collection and use of this data, it could settle down the concerns people may have. Finally, clear policies and rules will be laid out for all staff and those who access the data, as well as consequences for any violations. This will reassure trust on the hospital and its capability to implement the
As expected, Emergency Departments are able to obtain healthcare information immediately. Because of the centralized nature of the HIE, duplicate tests within the exchange group are reduced or eliminated. Physicians can review the stored data to review existing results that would otherwise been unavailable. If a physician receives an emergency call at home, they can log into the HIE to review the patient’s electronic record, thus saving the time spent driving to the office (Solberg, 2009). There is the ability to access the record at the point of care and upload to the HIE or download to the practice any information necessary in the treatment of the current problem. Benefits that are more difficult to quantify are the increased transparency of care, and the coordination of care derives from this transparency (Younkin,
This plan governs the integrity, privacy, security, and confidentiality of DOTC’s patient information, especially highly sensitive information, and the responsibilities of departments and individuals for such information. IT security measures are intended to protect patient information assets and preserve the privacy of DOTC’s employees, sponsors, suppliers, and other associated entities. Inappropriate use exposes DOTC to risks including virus attacks, compromise of network systems and services, and legal issues.