Healthcare and confidentiality

1. Confidentiality Training
Confidentiality,
Privacy, and
Security

2. Confidentiality
Discretion, privacy,
secret, assigned
confidence
The American Heritage Dictionary (2009).

3. Health Insurance
Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA)
Privacy and Security
regulations for healthcare
information
Enforcement and penalties
Criminal or civil lawsuit
Harmful intent (HIPAA training
handbook, 2003).

4. Confidential Patient Health Records
Health care professionals in any discipline are morally
bound to keep confident patient information.
All health disciplines have a code of ethics and
confidentiality is a component.
Medical charts, electronic charts, staff verbal reports,
and patient self-disclosure are PHI (Petros &
Theodoros, 2012).
Patient’s may give consent to share their health
information with specified persons, physicians,
insurers or agencies for continuity of care.
A patient with a guardian, must present paperwork for
the chart and is authorized access to any PHI (HIPAA
training handbook, 2003).

5. Security Measures
• Patient reports are conducted in a closed room
• Computer screens are never left open to
patient data
• Conversations with patient need to be in a
private area
• Never e-mail patient information
• Never open a chart out of curiosity
• If patients are admitted under a code name
do not try to discern the real identity

6. What is an Authorized Access
 Providers for continuity of care
 FDA reports in the event of broken devices
 Police can request patient data for a
criminal investigation
 The Court can order patient information
access for certain parties
 Healthcare professionals must report
suspicious presentation; gunshot victim,
abuse

7. References
HIPAA training handbook for the behavioral health staff: An
introduction to confidentiality an privacy under
HIPAA (2003). HCPro, Inc. Marblehead, MA. Petros, O. &
Theodoros, C. (2012, January-April). The Confidentiality of
“Medical Secrets" of Patients by the Nursing Staff.
International Journal of Caring Sciences 3(1) p. 1-2.
Retrieved from ProQuest Central
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1114167159?a
ccountid=32521