2. Confidentiality ensures information is only available to
those who have a need to know.
Physicians have always had a duty to keep their
patients' confidences
Physician may not disclose any medical information
revealed by a patient or discovered by a physician in
connection with the treatment of a patient.
3. The responsibility of protecting patients’ sensitive information
rests on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of
1996, which was enforced for this very reason. When a patient
gets admitted in a hospital, there is a sharing of patient
information. The healthcare organization is required to respect the
confidentiality of the patients. There are several reasons why
patient information needs to be accessed and that is when it is
used by employees, insurance companies and billing. Therefore
there is a big risk of this sensitive information getting into the
wrong hands, which is why it needs to be well protected.
4. As a manager it is critical that the staff is fully aware of the
consequences of violating any regulations. It is important to
ensure all employees have been trained on policies and
procedures. Not only should the new employees get trained on
patient confidentiality but quarterly trainings will be provided to
all staff.
The staff needs to be adequately trained so they can access and
use the information as per the rules laid down by HIPAA. HIPAA
lays down strict rules and regulation for the privacy and security
of patient health information. Any misuse or violation leads to
severe consequences in the form of fines and imprisonment.
5. To protect the sensitive information of the patients, to limit
access, and to avoid misuse, HIPAA advices the covered healthcare
organizations to put certain physical and technical safeguards in
place. Employees will be undergoing HIPAA training that explains to
the employees all about these safeguards and how they help in
protecting confidential patient information.
The training is not just a once-in-a-life class. On
completion, employees will have to give a test to ascertain whether
they have actually understood about HIPAA and its
rules, regulations, etc. Employees who successful pass the test receive
a completion certificate. This certificate proves that they have
received the said training.
6. This training can help employees gain knowledge they may have
forgotten. There are employees who have been working for the
organization for many years and were only trained once on HIPAA
and the company regulations.
Upon training completion, the staff is aware of what needs to be
done and how patient information is kept private at all times.
7. Garner, G. 2012. 5 Ways How HIPAA Training Can Ensure
Patient Confidentiality. Retrieved from
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1793951&ca=Education
Patient Confidentiality. American Medical Association. Retrieved
from
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-
resources/legal-topics/patient-physician-relationship-
topics/patient-confidentiality.page
