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St. Thomas University
Health Care Issues
Professor Kathleen Price
The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a national policy and privacy rule that seeks to protect the patient’s medical records and health information. The policy sets limits and conditions for disclosures of private patient records without the patient’s authorization. This paper will discuss the HIPAA privacy rule policy and how it impacts nurses and other health practitioners practice.
HIPAA policy also gives certain responsibilities to nurses and other health practitioners regarding patient information. The policy gives patients’ rights over their health records which include being served a copy of the health records (Cohen & Mello, 2018). The patient can also request corrections of their patient records if they feel it no longer reflects their state or condition. As a nurse or any health practitioner, the policy requires one to follow the privacy rule accordingly, as contrary to this can lead to legal suits. Breach of the HIPAA policy can lead to one losing their jobs depending on the information disclosed.
The HIPAA policy impacts health practitioners practice by determining situations under which they can disclose patient information without their consent. Such scenarios include disclosure to the patient’s legal representative or decedents. A health practitioner can disclose a patient’s health records when required by law (Gostin & Nass, 2015). They can also disclose patient information when it’s in the public interest. Such situations include when a patient’s condition is contagious to the general public or puts others’ lives in danger. A medical practitioner can also disclose patient records to another HIPAA covered entity.
The policy also requires that any videos and images that contain any individually identifiable health record of a patient can also not be disclosed or shared without the patient consent by any medical practitioner. The policy also requires nurses and medical practitioners to maintain privacy when recording patient data on electronic devices such as computers. The policy also impacts health care practice by requiring any health practitioner to disclose PHI to the patient within 30 days on request. It also requires nurses and other medical practitioners to cooperate with law regulation bodies such as the judiciary and other investigative bodies in a case where PHI is connected to a crime or endangering other’s lives (Cohen & Mello, 2018). Cases of suspected child abuse, for example, or rape, must be shared with the law regulating bodies without the patient’s authorization.
In conclusion, the HIPAA policy directly impacts the health practice of nurses and other medical practitioners. The policy outlines the privacy rule that seeks to protect the patient’s health records and information from disclosure without the patient’s authorization. The policy, however, can be overlooked in cases where other’s safety is in danger or when required by law. The policy also outlines protocols to follow when handling a patient’s insurance status and records when they are seeking treatment. The policy outlines the mandate of a medical practitioner on what they can disclose or what they can’t disclose in regards to the patients they serve on a day to day basis. The policy is also applicable to all the medical procedures that nurses and other medical practitioners perform on their patients.
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