Patient Information

Question 1

Privacy and confidentiality refer to an individual's right to control access and disclosure of his/her protected individually identifiable health information (PHI). Under HIPAA, this means that information provided by the patient to health care providers and notes and observations about the patient's health will not be used for purposes other than treatment, payment or health care operations. As cases of misused health information have increased, Congress has taken action to make hospitals and health care providers do more to protect health information privacy and confidentiality (Gunn, 321).

And with enactment of HIPAA, the idea that patients have the right to privacy and to confidentiality became more than just an ethical obligation of physicians and health care organizations. It became the law. The Privacy rule also covers all "covered entities," which include health care providers, health plans, employers or clearinghouses, not just those entities that transmit information electronically (Gunn, 322). Regulations implementing the privacy component of HIPAA cover protected health information (PHI) that is transmitted or that is maintained in any medium by covered entities. Individually identifiable information is any information, including demographic information, that identifies an individual and that meets any or all of the following criteria:

Is created or is received by a health care provider, health plan, employer or health care clearinghouse.

Relates to the past, present or future physical or mental health or condition of an Individual.

Describes the past, present or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual

However, there still will be occasions when you will have access to confidential information that you don't need for your work. This is confidential information about a patient; do not communicate it to anyone else. You may also see patient information on dry erase boards throughout the facility. Do not use this information in ...