1. Read: Discussion Background
Patient confidentiality is essential to delivering effective patient treatment. HIPAA laws and healthcare provider-specific polices are in place to protect patient confidentiality. However, breaches can and do occur.
For this discussion, use the HIPAA Journal website to research common or recent HIPAA violations that have jeopardized patient confidentiality. Use the information you learn to help you answer the discussion prompts.
2. Initial Post: Create a new thread and answer all three parts of the initial prompt below
Introduce yourself to your instructor and classmates. Be sure to include the following:
- Explain in your own words why patient confidentiality is important in healthcare.
- Reflect on your research. Share one example of a breach in patient confidentiality.
- Describe the steps you would take to prevent the breach you described above.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
As a medical professor responsible for creating assignments and evaluating student performance, it is important for me to educate medical college students on the importance of patient confidentiality and ways to prevent violations. In this discussion, students are tasked with researching common or recent HIPAA violations that have jeopardized patient confidentiality, reflecting on their findings and discussing the steps they would take to prevent such breaches.
1. Explain in your own words why patient confidentiality is important in healthcare:
Patient confidentiality is important in healthcare because it helps build trust between the patient and healthcare provider. Patients trust that their personal, medical and financial information will be kept private and that their healthcare provider will use this information solely for the purpose of providing them with the best possible care. Confidentiality also ensures that patients feel comfortable disclosing sensitive information that could impact their health. If patient confidentiality is breached, it can not only damage the trust between the patient and healthcare provider but can also lead to the patient being at risk of identity theft or discrimination.
2. Reflect on your research. Share one example of a breach in patient confidentiality:
One example of a breach in patient confidentiality is the 2015 data breach at Anthem, a health insurance company. Hackers were able to access sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses and medical histories of almost 80 million individuals. This breach not only put individuals at risk of identity theft but also jeopardized patient confidentiality by exposing their private medical information to unauthorized individuals.
3. Describe the steps you would take to prevent the breach you described above:
To prevent a breach like the one at Anthem, healthcare providers and organizations should implement strict security measures such as secure data storage, encryption, and regular security audits. Providers should also educate their staff about HIPAA regulations, specifically regarding patient privacy and ensure that all employees are aware of the consequences of violating HIPAA laws. Healthcare organizations should also be transparent with their patients about potential data breaches and establish a plan of action to notify affected individuals in a timely manner. Ultimately, prevention is key and healthcare providers should always prioritize patient confidentiality and privacy.