Patient privacy and confidentiality are important rights that health care professionals must protect. The HIPAA law establishes national standards to protect patients' private health information. The article discusses how over 120 UCLA hospital staff inappropriately accessed celebrity medical records between 2004-2006, violating patient privacy standards. As health care workers, it is important to understand HIPAA guidelines and only access or share patients' confidential information as necessary for treatment. Violating HIPAA can result in civil penalties up to $1.5 million or criminal penalties such as jail time.

1. PATIENT PRIVACY & SAFETY
QUEEN MYERS
MHA690: HEALTH CARE CAPSTONE
INSTRUCTOR: DR. HWANG- JI LU
JUNE 15, 2017

2. INTRODUCTION
 The Fox News article, “Report: Over 120 UCLA Hospital Staff Saw Celebrity Health Records” reports that
members of a health care team were accessing celebrity medical records without proper permission
between January of 2004 to June 2006. One staff member even accessed over 900 patient records in
their time employed at UCLA Hospital (Fox new, 2008). These actions presented in the article represent
acts that violates standards and codes of conduct that are put in place to protect patient privacy, safety,
and confidentiality. Protecting information that has been gathered in an association is a core value for
health care and all health care personnel should seek to protect patient privacy to the greatest extent in
all settings of health care. As future health care employees, it is important to understand patient
confidentiality and patient privacy to understand your role in ensuring we are properly protecting
patients in our facilities.

3. OVERVIEW
 What is patient privacy and confidentiality?
 HIPAA Law
 What is considered “confidential”?
 Your role as a health care employee
 Violations & disciplinary actions

4. WHAT IS PATIENT PRIVACY AND PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY
 Patient Privacy and confidentiality are standard rights of our society to protect information that can
potentially identify a patient. Safeguarding these rights is very important in health care.
 As physicians and health personnel, patients need to feel comfortable with sharing private information
with you and trust that this information will remain confidential. Patients have the right to decide what
information is to be disclosed and this cannot be done without permission and knowledge of that
patient.

5. HIPAA LAW
 The health insurance and information portability act was enacted in 1996 to make changes in healthcare
systems and policies to protect the privacy and safety of patient information under new technology
advancements and the electronic protected health information (HHS.gov). This law places national
standards under HIPAA Privacy rules and HIPAA security rules to establish guidelines of for
communication with patients, patient family members, and other health care personnel.
 HIPAA limits those who have access to patient information and how it may be used. Under the privacy
and security rules, hospitals can only use information for treatment purposes, for operational purposes
to improve quality of care, and obtaining payment for care (Erickson & Millar, 2005).

6. WHAT IS CONSIDERED “CONFIDENTIAL”?
 Patients should feel comfortable to disclose sensitive information to physicians build a better patient-
physician relationship. Building this trust allows the physician to get the necessary information to
conduct the best medical services to reach the patient’s needs. Confidential information includes:
 Name
 Age
 Race
 Health information
 Sex
 Diagnosis
 Address
 Insurance

7. YOUR ROLE AS A HEALTH CARE EMPLOYEE
 As a healthcare employee you should abide by the standards presented under the HIPAA law. That
means it is important that you read and understand this law to the greatest extent possible.
 When interacting with patients, be sure to use the proper patient identifiers to verify patients and do not
share information with anyone else unless for treatment purposes.
 Properly dispose of patient information to prevent accidental disclosure to unauthorized personnel
 Do not discuss patient information or encounters outside of the patient exam rooms (not even at family
dinner).
 Do not share your employee information with friends, family, or other employees (this can give others
access to information and hold you accountable).
 Receive the proper training and ask questions if unsure.
 Report any activities you may feel violate the patient privacy and security rules

8. VIOLATIONS AND DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
 Failure to comply with HIPAA laws can result in civil and criminal penalties. Violations can range from
health care entities unknowingly violating to willfully violating the law. Monetary violations for civil
penalties range from $100 per penalty to $1.5 million per penalty. Criminal penalties can result in up to
10 years of jail time for each violation. (ama.org).

9.  American Medical Associations (2017). HIPAA Violations and Enforcements. https://www.ama-
assn.org/practice-management/hipaa-violations-enforcement
 Erickson, J. & Millar, S. (2005). Caring for Patients While Respecting Their Privacy: Renewing Our
Commitment. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing (OIJN). Retrieved from
http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofCont
ents/Volume102005/No2May05/tpc27_116017.html
 Fox News. (2008). Report Over 120 UCLA hospital staff saw celebrity health records (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site.. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,398784,00.html
 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Summary of HIPAA Security Rule. HHS.gov.