Question

Explain in a two-page paper the steps that must be taken to protect a patient's privacy when releasing patient information to another agency

Answer 1

Patients privacy refers to the right of patients to determine when,how and to what extent their health information is shared with others.It involves maintaining confidentiality and sharing identifying data known as protected health information,only with health care providers and related professionals who need it in order to care for the patient.

Steps taken to protect a patients privacy

1. put someone in charge
2. keep protected health information secure and private
3. set up office policy procedures and training for your staff
4. inform patients of their rights and support those rights
5. Limit access of patient information to businesses outside practice

1. put someone in charge

the privacy rule requires to assign responsibility to someone to implement the privacy rule.The privacy officers job is to get the other four steps in this .In small practices this can be done by doctor or office manager.In large practices it may be a full time job for a few weeks

2. keep protected health information secure and private

when employees stop working for the practice ,need to replace or re key your locks to protect information ,unless that is normal routine.keep computer backup copies secured or locked up.protect computer screens so that people passing by cannot read any information

.Minimum necessary uses and disclosures

as well as protecting this ,you need to release or provide information when required.do not block access to the patient anyone authorized by the patient anyone who needs data for treatment purpose or uses/disclosures required by law

3. set up office policy procedures and training for your staff

the officer in charge need to train the current staff and future staff on the privacy rule.New employees must be trained within a reasonable amount of time.written guidelines are the easiest way to train people. always create a checklist of all written materials required to be read as part of the training

4. Inform patients of their rights and support those rights

you need to inform patients of their privacy rights .it includes right to see their health information ,to change or amend and to get assistance to their privacy complaints .if the patient is a minor then inform all these to the guardian.If you wish to share a patients information to an outside company such as marketing list company,you need written consent from each patient

5. Limit access of patient information to businesses outside the practice

should not send patients information to outside companies without patients consent.examples of organizations with which businesses associate agreements as they deal with protected  health information

• telephone answering services
• billing companies
• transcription services
• consultants
• research agencies
• document destruction firms
• malpractice carriers

To maintain confidentiality unauthorized third parties mus be prevented from accessing and veiwing medical data.this can be accomplished by preventing physical access to the data using such technologies as switched networks and by encrypting the data so that even if it is physically obtained it cannot be read.