The document outlines the importance of maintaining patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA regulations, emphasizing that unauthorized access to medical records can lead to severe consequences including termination, legal prosecution, and fines. It also clarifies that accessing patient files is only permissible for legitimate healthcare purposes, while curiosity or personal reasons do not justify such actions. Moreover, it details the civil and criminal penalties for HIPAA violations, ranging from monetary fines to possible jail time.

1. Confidentiality and You
The impacts of viewing information that is not relevant to the care of a
patient.

2. HIPAA and You
Have you ever thought what it
would mean if you were found
to be looking at patient files
without permission or a
legitimate reason to?
 Termination
 Legal Prosecution
 Hefty Fines
 Permanently on your record

3. HIPPA Provides Protection of
Medical Records for Everyone
Is it breaking HIPAA if I want to look at a celebrity’s file?
YES!!! Their privacy is just as important as John Smith’s. Ask yourself, is this
information that I need to see to offer this patient care? Do I have any reason to
look at this information? Will the patient’s care be improved with my knowledge
of their medical information?
If the answer is “No” then do not even open the file up.

4. Things to consider if you are going to
look at a medical record.
Allowed to access medical
records
 Used to determine if client needs
assistance or has allergies
 Used when determining what is
directed by the physician for
treatment
 Used to offer care in the directed
way
Not allowed to access
medical records
 Want an address for personal
reasons
 Want to see what a specific person
in being treated for out of curiosity
 Find out what room a person is in
to get an autograph
 Used for any reason that does not
benefit the patient or assist with
care

5. Celebrity Patients and Care
There are a number of different things that
staff need to be aware of when dealing with
personal information:
Do not give out any information as to
whether or not a person is in the facility.
Do not view any medical records without the
prior knowledge of the patient and the floor
nurse.
Do not access the information for any
personal reasons.
Do not give preferential treatment to any
patient, but make sure all patients are
receiving the same continuous care.

6. “
”
There will be fiscal penalties for
poor quality care or
uncoordinated care.
(Wager, 2013)
There are many penalties that will be imposed on both the person breaching the
information and the facility in which it happened.

7. Civil monetary penalties
Tier Penalty
1. Covered entity or individual did not know (and by exercising
reasonable diligence would not have known) the act was a HIPAA
violation.
$100-$50,000 for each violation, up to a maximum of $1.5 million for
identical provisions during a calendar year
2. The HIPAA violation had a reasonable cause and was not due to willful
neglect.
$1,000-$50,000 for each violation, up to a maximum of $1.5 million for
identical provisions during a calendar year
3. The HIPAA violation was due to willful neglect but the violation was
corrected within the required time period.
$10,000-$50,000 for each violation, up to a maximum of $1.5 million for
identical provisions during a calendar year
4. The HIPAA violation was due to willful neglect and was not corrected.
$50,000 or more for each violation, up to a maximum of $1.5 million for
identical provisions during a calendar year
Criminal penalties
Tier Potential jail sentence
Unknowingly or with reasonable cause Up to one year
Under false pretenses Up to five years
For personal gain or malicious reasons Up to ten years
(Indiana State University, 2015)

8. Is your
curiosity
worth the loss
of your
livilyhood?

9. Reference
Indiana State University, 2015, What are the penalties for violating HIPAA?
Retrieved from website: https://kb.iu.edu/d/ayzf on April 2, 2017.
Wager, K., Lee, F., Glaser, J. (2013) Health Care Information Systems: A
Practical Approach for Health Care Management, 3rd Edition. Jossey-Bass