HIPAA Case Summary

US Congress created the Hipaa bill in 1996 because of public concern of how their private information was being used. It is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which Congress created to protect confidentiality, privacy and security of patient information. It was also for health care documents to be passed electronically. Hipaa is a privacy rule, which gives patients control over their health information. Patients have to give permission any healthcare provider can disclose any information placed in the individual’s medical records. It helps limit protected health information (PHI) to minimize the chance of inappropriate disclosure. It establishes national-level standards that healthcare providers must comply with and strictly investigates compliance related issues while holding violators to civil or criminal penalties if they violate the privacy of a person’s PHI. Hipaa also has boundaries for using and disclosing health records by covered entities; a healthcare provider, health plan, and healthcare clearinghouse. It also supports the cause of disclosing PHI without a person’s consent for individual healthcare needs, public benefit and national interests. The portability part of Hipaa guarantees patients health insurance to employees after losing a job, making sure health insurance providers can’t discriminate against people because of health status or pre-existing condition, and keeps their files safe while being sent electronically. The Privacy

For this week’s discussion I have read the article assigned this week regarding HIPAA violations. I will summarize the case against the physician and what the HIPAA law states. I will also discuss what the penalties are for a HIPAA violation and if this physician could have faced further charges.

This paper will examine the privacy rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996

1. Mrs. Smith had a pregnancy test. Mr. Smith called Mrs. Smith’s physician and requested a copy of Mrs. Smith’s test results. Can/Should the physician release the results of the pregnancy test to Mr. Smith over the phone? (Use law and ethics to defend your answer) Why or why not?

First is the privacy rule, which is meant to guard the confidentiality of all protected health information. This is defined as any information that includes the patient’s name or other identifiers, such as a birth date or medical record number. Protected health information can be data that is written, spoken, or in electronic form. The privacy rule came about because many healthcare workers have been far too willing to talk casually about their patients without thinking how this violates their confidentiality, The Final Rule modifies the Privacy Rule to extend direct liability for disclosures of PHI by business associates. However, the rule does not subject

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a set of national standards created for the protection of health information; it is also known as a “Privacy Rule”. This rule was employed in 1996 by the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to address the use and disclosure of an individual’s health information as well as the standards for the individual’s privacy rights to understand and control the manner in which their information is used.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act also known as HIPAA was first signed into law on the federal level in 1996. Since it was signed into law it has had a huge effect on patient’s privacy, healthcare workers and even insurance company’s. “HIPAA is intended to improve efficiency throughout health care and requires that health care providers adhere to standardized national privacy and confidentiality protections.” (OMA p .236). It’s an invaluable tool that has created a standard of compliance across the healthcare field.

During this research, there has been a collection of data that had been connected to the instances of HIPAA violations within the United States. There are various cases that have been reported through patients and employees where very personal medical information has been exposed unlawfully for personal gain. These cases have not only put a company at reputational risk. But these cases can also place a patient and or healthcare company in a terrible financial stipulation. This thesis will include a series of charts and tables that describe the fluctuation of such cases involving different examples of HIPAA violations. Not only will there be data of these instances but there will be illustrations of how both patients and healthcare employees exemplify HIPAA violations. These cases will be verified from an external and internal evaluation. Suggestive protocol will be demonstrated to guide one along to ensure the possibility of another case of HIPAA violation is prevented. Protocols and examples are being credited by diverse information.

Rite Aid also gives patients a chance to amend the rights: If you feel that the protected health information we maintain about you is incomplete or incorrect, you may request that we amend it. “You may request an Amendment for as long as we maintain the protected health information. A request for an Amendment must be made in writing. You must include a reason that supports your request. In certain cases, we may deny the request. If the request for Amendment is denied, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with the decision, and we may give a rebuttal to your statement” (Rite Aid, Privacy, 2011).Rite Aid privacy act has been in effect since April 14, 2003. Rite Aid is a big organization that is located all around the United States. Each state carries different laws and

Aaron, you have demonstrated knowledge of Department policies and procedures and pose questions when concerns arise. You have demonstrated an understanding and practice of HIPAA laws as is evident in your ability to remain confidential with all investigations despite ongoing inquiries from those that are not authorized including Reporters and various family members. Aaron, you have demonstrated knowledge of the Department’s goals and also Division programs as evidenced by your investigative plans including requests for HCBS, assistance with Medicaid applications and reinvestigations, and care plan or provider changes. Many of these cases required follow up after case closure which you completed thoroughly. Throughout your hotline investigations,

What law prohibits the unauthorized access of patients charts? HIPPA Law (HIPPA) The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The HIPPA law was created to a national standard to protect all privacy of patient's personal health documents and medical records.

Dr. Patterson’s office called to give patient Sara Martin her results, but her husband answered and asked to relay the message. As a doctor, she cannot give out patient’s information to anyone but the patient. In this situation Dr. Patterson should explain to the husband that information can only be released to the patient and; although he is the husband she would have to sign an information release form. If this information where to get released and she did not want anyone else to know , this would be a HIPAA violation and there can be fines to pay and may lose her

Ten years ago after much challenges and questionable skepticism, the HIPAA policy became effective and has been shaping healthcare one regulatory policy at a time. The evolution of the HIPAA privacy act helped establish the HIPAA Security Rule which was published in 2003 and became effective in 2005, and then eventually led to the HIPAA Enforcement Rules and the Breach Notification Rule. With it joint fortification of the 2009 HITECH Act and HIPAA’s modifications to regulations, it was released in January 2013 to the industry (American Health Information Management Association, 2013).

Protected health information (PHI) is information in a medical record or set of medical data that can be used to identify an individual and was created during the normal healthcare process (1). Medical identity theft is the use of PHI to obtain medical care, drugs, or submit claims to insurance in another person’s name (2). To help prevent medical identity theft, the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed in 1996 with the purpose of directing how patient is used and can be made available. HIPAA is typically divided into 2 rules: the privacy rule and the security rule. The Privacy rule establishes the standards to protect individual healthcare data and applies to health plans, clearinghouses, and healthcare providers that conduct certain electronic healthcare

 Served as the law clerk for the entire firm to research topics in diverse areas of law such as environmental, securities, real estate, and family.