In this assignment, you will be working with the Release of Information (ROI) Department. With this in mind, you should familiarize yourself with the HIPPA Guidelines and ROI documents below before you begin.
- HIPAA’s Privacy Rule and Release of Information Guidelines
- Rasmussen Medical Center – Release of Information Policies
Peggy Smith, the Assistant Director of the HIM department, has taken over the ROI department after being notified that the ROI Supervisor will be out indefinitely. Peggy has learned that she has two tasks to handle immediately. The first task is responding to a variety of ROI requests. The second task is developing an accounting of disclosures for ROI tracking.
Part 1 – Release of Information Requests
Download the Release of Information Requests Worksheet.
Read the case provided and review the ROI scenarios described. After analyzing the situations, comment whether you agree or disagree with how Peggy handled each situation. Give your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with her actions. Save your answers in the worksheet.
Part 2 – Accounting of Disclosures Form
A patient has requested an Accounting of Disclosures. Peggy quickly realizes the department does not have a formal document to present to the patient. She must now create an Accounting of Disclosures form and has asked you for assistance.
Review the documents provided above for the HIPAA Guidelines and RMC Release of Information Policies. It is a HIPAA rule that all health information releases must be tracked. The HIPAA and ROI materials suggest what type of information must be tracked. Some HIM department have an HIM software application that can be used to do this, while others simply use Excel or Word to set up a tracking system.
For this assignment, design an Accounting of Disclosures Form using an Excel spreadsheet or a Word table or form document. Be sure it includes each of the areas that are required on an Accounting of Disclosures form. It may be helpful to research Accounting of Disclosures forms using your preferred Internet search engine.
Once you have your form designed, fill in the information for one patient simply using made-up information.
2 Documents needs submitted separately (Worksheet and Excel Table)
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
The following assignment is designed for medical college students who are studying Release of Information (ROI) Department. The assignment includes two parts: in the first part, students need to analyze the given case scenarios and comment on Peggy Smith’s actions, and in part 2, students have to design an Accounting of Disclosures Form using Excel or Word.
Answer to Content:
Part 1 – Release of Information Requests:
After analyzing the given case scenarios, I agree with Peggy Smith’s actions in Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. She followed the HIPAA’s Privacy Rule and Rasmussen Medical Center – Release of Information Policies while handling these scenarios. In Scenario1, the requester did not have a legal authorization to access the patient’s information, and Peggy Smith rightly denied the request. In Scenario2, the requester had legal authorization, and Peggy Smith provided the requested information after verifying the authorization.
However, in Scenario3, Peggy Smith made a mistake by disclosing more information than requested by the requester. According to HIPAA’s Privacy Rule, the minimum necessary standard should be followed while releasing information. Peggy should have only provided the information required by the requester and not any additional information.
Part 2 – Accounting of Disclosures Form:
As per HIPAA’s rule, all health information releases must be tracked, and the Accounting of Disclosures form must include specific information. I have designed an Accounting of Disclosures Form using an Excel spreadsheet that includes the following required areas:
1. Patient Name
2. Date of Disclosure
3. Disclosure Recipient
4. Purpose of Disclosure
5. Type of Information Disclosed
6. Method of Disclosure
7. Disclosure Reason
8. Disclosure Tracking Number
I have filled in the information for one patient using made-up information in the Excel spreadsheet.
Overall, this assignment will help students understand HIPAA’s Privacy Rule and ROI policies, and how to design an Accounting of Disclosures Form following the specific guidelines.
