I was wondering if someone coould look at this report and let me if you think it is ok to hand in. The questions are: Does HIPAA affect the patient's access to his/her medical record?if so describe the effect and procedure to obtain access 2)under what 12 circumstances can personal health information be used for purposes unrelated to healthcare 3)Are there requirements for covered entities to have written privacy policies?if so what has to be addressed in the policy 4) how will employees in the medical office have to be trained regarding privcy policy, for example who is responsible for training and record keeping, what is required if an employee doesn't follow the privacy policy? When must employees be traine, in what manner? I hope I typed it all with proper puncuation and grammar, couold someone douoble check and let me know if this a acceptable thanks!!
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
The Health Insurance portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has established a set of national standards that protects and allows patients control over their medical records. Therefore, HIPAA does affect the patient’s access to their medical records. Patients should be able to see or obtain his or her own records and request any corrections as needed for their files. The patient should ask their doctor in writing for a request of their medical record. This way the patient has a record of the request and any important information such as the day of the request by the patient. It usually takes about 30 days to receive the copy of the medical record. In some cases, the first copy is free, pending on if they are being picked up in person. Additional copies may be charged a fee, due to the staff taking time to process all information to be gathered and mailed to the patient. Therefore, because of HIPAA patients have more access and control over their medical records.
According to HIPAA, patients’ personal health information (PHI) is confidential and cannot be used or disclosed without proper authorization. However, there are some circumstances that allow the health information to be disclosed unrelated to healthcare. These circumstances are: 1) Required by law 2) public health activities 3) victims of abuse, neglect or domestic 4) health oversight activities 5) judicial and administrative proceedings 6) law enforcement purposes 7) decedents 8) cadaveric organ, eye, or tissue donation 9) research 10) serious threat to health or safety 11) essential government functions 12) workers compensation 13) risk of death or harm to oneself. These are the only circumstances that allow the patients ‘medical records to be obtained without authorization.
There are requirements for covered entities to have written privacy policies. HIPAA requires that covered entities supply to the individual a written notice of the privacy policy. The things that need to be addressed in the privacy policy include: the individuals rights and how they may implement his or her rights regarding the public health information, all the legal duties of the covered entity, description of disclosures allowed by HIPAA, description of the different types of allowed uses to disclose the PHI, including the disclosures that are required to be disclosed without the written consent or authorization of the individual, it should also include a separate statements for some PHI such as appointment reminders, different treatment, and other services that maybe of interest to the individual.
To be in compliance with the HIPAA laws, every employee needs to have training in all the procedures and policies with HIPAA to understand the confidentiality for all patients.
The staff must be trained as soon as the training information is available, usually a set date is imposed. If there has been any new changes involving the information, staff must be updated and trained within a reasonable time. Usually the office has a trained Privacy Officer. They are the ones that usually responsible for making the training dates available and keep a record of some sort of documentation of who attends and completes all required training. If someone violates the privacy policy there can be fines and penalties of jail time. The law can impose fines up to $100 for each civil violation and up to 10 years in jail.
¶ 1 --
Check for proper capitalization.
Check for correct pronoun/antecedent agreement.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/pronouns.htm
Check for correct word choice (pending/depending, etc.)
??"Additional copies may be charged a fee"?? Copies are charged a fee??
Scrap "due to" when it really means "because." Rephrase that sentence.
Check for proper use of commas, including when they are NOT needed.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm
¶ 2 --
Check for correct order of words here -- "allow the health information to be disclosed unrelated to healthcare."
Do not use a colon after a verb; check correct capitalization.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/colon.htm
Check for placement of apostrophe.
etc.
Overall, be absolutely sure you have not plagiarized from anything -- in print or online. If you need to find out what is and isn't considered plagiarism, read this webpage thoroughly:
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If you have copied any phrases from somewhere, be sure you cite it/them properly.
"etc." = check over the other paragraph for errors similar to what I've already pointed out.
I'm also taking this course and having trouble finding the information...what are the sources you used to answer these questions?
First of all, let's check the punctuation and grammar of your question:
"I hope I typed it all with proper punctuation and grammar. Could someone double-check and let me know if this is acceptable? Thanks!!"
Your question is correctly punctuated and grammatically correct. Now let's move on to answering your questions:
1) Does HIPAA affect the patient's access to his/her medical record? If so, describe the effect and procedure to obtain access:
Yes, HIPAA does affect the patient's access to their medical records. Under HIPAA, patients have the right to access their own medical records and request corrections if necessary. To obtain access to their medical records, the patient should write a request to their doctor. It is important for the patient to keep a record of their request, including the date, to have documentation. Typically, it takes approximately 30 days to receive a copy of the medical record. The first copy may be free if it is picked up in person, but additional copies may require a fee for processing and mailing.
2) Under what 12 circumstances can personal health information be used for purposes unrelated to healthcare?
Under HIPAA, personal health information (PHI) is generally confidential and cannot be used or disclosed without proper authorization. However, there are certain circumstances in which PHI can be used for purposes unrelated to healthcare. These circumstances are:
1) Required by law
2) Public health activities
3) Victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
4) Health oversight activities
5) Judicial and administrative proceedings
6) Law enforcement purposes
7) Decedents (information regarding deceased individuals)
8) Cadaveric organ, eye, or tissue donation
9) Research (with appropriate safeguards)
10) Serious threat to health or safety
11) Essential government functions
12) Workers' compensation
13) Risk of death or harm to oneself
It is important to note that these circumstances are the only exceptions to using personal health information without authorization.
3) Are there requirements for covered entities to have written privacy policies? If so, what has to be addressed in the policy?
Yes, there are requirements for covered entities (such as healthcare providers and health plans) to have written privacy policies under HIPAA. Covered entities are required to provide individuals with a written notice of their privacy policy. The privacy policy should address the following:
1) Individuals' rights and how they can exercise their rights regarding their personal health information
2) Legal duties of the covered entity
3) Descriptions of allowed disclosures under HIPAA
4) Types of permissible uses and disclosures of PHI, including those that can be disclosed without the individual's written consent or authorization
5) Separate statements for certain PHI categories, such as appointment reminders, different treatment options, and other services that may be of interest to the individual.
4) How will employees in the medical office have to be trained regarding privacy policy? For example, who is responsible for training and record-keeping, what is required if an employee doesn't follow the privacy policy?
To ensure compliance with HIPAA laws, all employees in the medical office need to undergo training on the procedures and policies related to HIPAA and patient confidentiality. The responsibility for training lies with the office's designated Privacy Officer. This person is typically responsible for scheduling training dates, ensuring employees receive the necessary training materials, and keeping records of employee attendance and completion of the required training.
If an employee violates the privacy policy, there can be serious consequences. Violations can result in fines and penalties, including potential jail time. Civil violations can result in fines of up to $100 per violation, and there may be additional penalties under applicable laws.
In terms of training requirements, employees should be trained as soon as the training materials are made available. If there are any updates or changes to the information, employees must receive updated training within a reasonable timeframe.
I hope this helps!