Healthcare Privacy Concerns

1. Created By: Samantha Poullard
MHA 690 Healthcare Capstone

2.  Healthcare providers should receive training
in maintaining patient privacy and keeping
healthcare information secure.
 An understanding of the principles of HIPAA is
a requirement in the healthcare industry
 Confidentiality of Health Records is a major
concern in all facets of healthcare
 Hollywood Examples are widespread
 Penalties for violating privacy laws are
increasing

3.  Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act
 Healthcare records are now computerized
with the advent of HIPAA. Because electronic
records are vulnerable to such threats as
hackers, computer viruses, and technical
malfunction, the healthcare industry has to
develop measures to protect electronic
records.

4.  A HIPAA fact sheet published by the United
States Department of Labor warns that
“information about your physical and mental
health will almost certainly end up in data files”
 Medical records may be seen by hundreds of
strangers who work in healthcare, the insurance
industry, and a mass of businesses associated
with medical organizations…your private medical
information is now a valuable commodity(2009)
 Healthcare providers are responsible for
safeguarding this information

5.  Misuse of information such as social security
number, address, birth date, etc. that is
included in patient records could lead to identity
theft
 Private health information is closely guarded,
and access to healthcare records is carefully
regulated
 Insurance companies and workplaces may also
misuse information obtained from health records
 Corrupt companies may use private information
inappropriately, and insurance companies may
use the information to limit coverage.

6.  Personal healthcare information may be
shared with certain agencies such as law
enforcement or pharmaceutical agencies
 Dissemination of information is generally
limited to a “need to know” basis
 State laws are being implemented to
increase the penalties for violating
patient/client healthcare privacy

7.  In October 2009, Actor John Travolta testified
that a “Bahamas paramedic threatened to sell
stories to the news media suggesting the movie
star was at fault in the death of his 16-year-old
son” (McCartney, 2009)
 Charles Ornstein of the Los Angeles Times
reported that “Shortly after UCLA doctors told
Fawcett that her cancer had returned - and
before she had told her son and closest friends -
the Enquirer posted the news...” (2008)

8.  California is enacting two laws that “include
provisions that assess civil penalties of up to
$250,000 on individuals or entities that
improperly disclose private medical information”
(Lerner, 2008)
 Legislators hope that these laws will deter the
kinds of privacy breaches that have recently
filled some California hospitals
 The HIPAA factsheet says that only the HHS
(Health and Human Services) or the U.S.
Department of Justice has the authority to file
an action for violations of the Privacy Rule
 However, a person may be able to sue under
state law using the HIPAA Privacy Rule to
establish the appropriate standard of care

9.  Healthcare providers must be watchful and
avoid revealing information about a client’s
condition- celebrity or not
 Healthcare providers also must be cautious
when answering the phone or communicating
in a public setting
 Although HIPAA mostly applies to electronic
records, the same principles apply in all
healthcare settings

10.  Factsheet. (2004). The health insurance
portability and accountability act. United
States Department of Labor
 HIPAA basics, medical privacy. (updated 2009).
PrivacyRights.Org
 Lerner, N. (2008). HIPAA compliance strategies.
Health Plan Facts, Trends, and Data. Health
Business Daily. AIS.com
 McCartney, J. (2009). Travolta testifies Bahamas
medic threatened him. Associated Press
 Ornstein, C. (2008). UCLA staffer looked through
Farrah Fawcett's medical records. Los
Angeles Times. April 3 Issue.