Assignment: Policy/Regulation Fact Sheet
As a professional nurse, you are expected to apply your expertise to patient care. On occasion, you will also be expected to share that expertise.
With evolving technology and continuous changes to regulations designed to keep up these changes, there is usually a need to share information and expertise to inform colleagues, leadership, patients, and other stakeholders.
In this Assignment, you will study a recent nursing informatics-related healthcare policy, and you will share the relevant details via a fact sheet designed to inform and educate.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources on healthcare policy and regulatory/legislative topics related to health and nursing informatics.
- Consider the role of the nurse informaticist in relation to a healthcare organization’s compliance with various policies and regulations, such as the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).
- Research and select one health or nursing informatics policy (within the past 5 years) or regulation for further study.
The Assignment: (1 page)
Create a 1-page fact sheet that your healthcare organization could hypothetically use to explain the health or nursing informatics policy/regulation you selected. Your fact sheet should address the following:
- Briefly and generally explain the policy or regulation you selected.
- Address the impact of the policy or regulation you selected on system implementation.
- Address the impact of the policy or regulation you selected on clinical care, patient/provider interactions, and workflow.
- Highlight organizational policies and procedures that are/will be in place at your healthcare organization to address the policy or regulation you selected. Be specific.
By Day 5 of Week 11
Submit your completed Policy/Regulation Fact Sheet.
Submission and Grading Information
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction: This assignment requires the creation of a fact sheet addressing a nursing informatics-related healthcare policy or regulation. The fact sheet should explain the policy or regulation and address its impact on system implementation, clinical care, patient/provider interactions, and workflow. The fact sheet should also highlight any organizational policies and procedures in place to address the policy or regulation.
Answer: The fact sheet that is required to be created as part of the assignment aims to educate stakeholders about a healthcare policy or regulation related to nursing informatics. By creating and using the fact sheet, healthcare organizations can inform their staff members, including nurses and other healthcare professionals, about the regulations related to their practice and how these regulations can impact their work. The fact sheet should explain the policy or regulation in simple terms, address its impact on system implementation, clinical care, patient/provider interactions, and workflow, and highlight any organizational policies and procedures in place to address the policy or regulation.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction: The Policy/Regulation Fact Sheet assignment requires the creation of a fact sheet addressing a nursing informatics-related healthcare policy or regulation. The fact sheet should explain the policy or regulation and address its impact on system implementation, clinical care, patient/provider interactions, and workflow. The fact sheet should also highlight any organizational policies and procedures in place to address the policy or regulation.
Answer:
The fact sheet that is required to be created as part of the assignment aims to educate stakeholders about a healthcare policy or regulation related to nursing informatics. By creating and using the fact sheet, healthcare organizations can inform their staff members, including nurses and other healthcare professionals, about the regulations related to their practice and how these regulations can impact their work. The fact sheet should explain the policy or regulation in simple terms, address its impact on system implementation, clinical care, patient/provider interactions, and workflow, and highlight any organizational policies and procedures in place to address the policy or regulation.
The policy that will be addressed in this fact sheet is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, which was implemented in 2013. The HIPAA Privacy Rule requires healthcare providers to protect sensitive patient information, such as medical records, personal health information (PHI), and electronic health information (ePHI), from disclosure to unauthorized individuals or entities.
Impact of HIPAA Privacy Rule on system implementation: The HIPAA Privacy Rule has a significant impact on system implementation by requiring healthcare providers to implement security measures to safeguard patient information. These measures include the use of firewalls, encryption, and password protections to prevent unauthorized access to ePHI. Healthcare providers must also establish policies and procedures for authorizing access to patient information and for reporting and investigating any unauthorized access or disclosure.
Impact of HIPAA Privacy Rule on clinical care, patient/provider interactions, and workflow: The HIPAA Privacy Rule impacts clinical care by ensuring that patients’ sensitive information is protected and that patients can trust their healthcare providers to maintain their privacy. The rule also impacts patient/provider interactions by requiring healthcare providers to obtain written consent from patients before using or sharing their PHI or ePHI. Finally, the HIPAA Privacy Rule impacts workflow by requiring healthcare providers to allocate additional resources to comply with the rule’s security requirements.
Organizational policies and procedures in place to address the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Our healthcare organization has established several policies and procedures to address the HIPAA Privacy Rule. These include training programs to educate staff members on the HIPAA Privacy Rule’s requirements, the establishment of a privacy officer to oversee compliance with the rule, and regular audits to ensure that patient information is protected. Additionally, the organization has implemented technology solutions to secure ePHI and restrict access to sensitive information.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the HIPAA Privacy Rule requires healthcare providers to protect patients’ sensitive information from unauthorized access and disclosure. The rule impacts system implementation, clinical care, patient/provider interactions, and workflow. To comply with the HIPAA Privacy Rule, healthcare organizations must establish policies and procedures to safeguard patient information, train staff members, and implement technology solutions to secure ePHI.
