This document discusses patient confidentiality and privacy. It defines confidentiality as limiting patient information to specified parties like doctors and patients. It notes that technology and unethical healthcare professionals increase risks to confidentiality. The document outlines measures to protect confidentiality, including HIPAA laws, password protection, and training. Consequences for violations include warnings, supervision, training for first offenses and dismissal for subsequent offenses.

1. Confidentiality: Employee Training and Protecting Patients
Created By Beth A. Clutts
MHA 690: Health Care Capstone
Dr. Grover
December 6, 2012

2. Protecting patients' privacy of information, rights,
and preserving patients' trust in their health care
providers is a very important issue.
No matter who the patient is, whether famous,
wealthy, middle class, poor, or homeless, their
rights to privacy and confidentiality must be
honored.
In order to eliminate breaches of patient privacy
and confidentiality, there must be an understanding
of what confidentiality is, and consequences for
breaching HIPAA and organizational ethical codes.

3. What is Confidentiality?
www.ilbypasscoordinationproject.org

Confidentiality is the limitation of patient information
to specified parties: Doctor, Patient, Insurance

Protection of patients' rights and personal information
through HIPAA

No one but specified personnel are to view patient records

Patient information is not to be discussed openly
www.onlinetherapyinstitute.com

4. What puts patient confidentiality at risk?

Technology – Increased risk of unauthorized use, access,
and disclosure of confidential patient information
(www.ache.org, 2009)

Unethical or untrained healthcare professionals -
Healthcare professionals who are not discrete with
confidential information or who do not take the proper
precautions for confidentiality

5. Measures and Precautions to Protect
Patient Confidentiality
Health care professionals must know and understand
HIPAA laws and procedures as well as the health care
organization's ethical code of conduct.
Password protection must be utilized. Only patients should
know their personal passwords. Physicians and authorized
personnel must be on a list of approved providers in order
to access patient records or any information in the organization's
Database (www.massmed.org, 2012).
Health care professionals should be required to attend an annual
training session about patient confidentiality, HIPAA, organizational
ethical codes, and gossip.

6. Confidentiality Violation Consequences
For Health Care Professionals
Should patient confidentiality measures be broken,
consequences will ensue.

First time offenders will receive a verbal and written
warning, as well as 15 days of managerial supervision
and a three day class about patient confidentiality.

Second time offenders will be dismissed from the
organization with no references.

There will be no tolerance or allowance of a third offense.
While these may seem like lenient terms, depending on the
patient confidentiality breach situation and severity,
employees could be fired for their first offense.

7. References
Health Information Confidentiality. (2009). American College of Healthcare
Executives. Retrieved December 6, 2012, from
http://www.ache.org/policy/hiconf.cfm.
Managing the Risks of Practicing Telemedicine: Privacy, Security, and
Patient Confidentiality. (2012). Massachusetts Medical Society. Retrieved
December 6, 2012, from www.massmed.org.