HIPAA’s Effects on Healthcare Services
From its enactment in 1996, HIPAA law was a noble idea. However, some provisions in the law have affected the provision of healthcare services by healthcare workers. These provisions have affected both the current and future healthcare service provision. Adhering to HIPAA requirements could adversely affect healthcare service delivery in many ways. Firstly, HIPAA outlawed disclosing of highly personal and sensitive patient information (Cohen & Mello, 2018). Consequently, some healthcare professional have interpreted HIPAA to mean a total non-disclosure of sensitive patient information, even when it is in the patient’s best interest. Though this law prohibited revealing of specific sensitive information about patients, certain information can be revealed without seeking consent from the patient on condition that the patient is informed about the disclosure policy. When healthcare professionals follow the HIPAA law, they do not share critical patient information which adversely affects the quality of healthcare and patient outcomes. Inability to share patient information among healthcare professionals negatively affects the continued learning and acquisition of knowledge within the healthcare profession. Continued learning is a critical aspect of the medical field that is threatened by the provisions of HIPAA. The HIPAA law prohibits the sharing of vital and sensitive patient information, which in turn, hinders the healthcare professionals from obtaining that may be valuable in the provision of medical care. Healthcare professionals fear to share information due to legal consequences that may ruin their careers. Overall, adhering to the HIPAA laws denies the healthcare professionals access to vital patient information, which in turn impacts the quality of healthcare and patient outcomes. Effective healthcare service delivery and positive patient outcomes require information sharing amongst medical professionals. The information shared would give more insights into the patient’s medical history, hence proper diagnoses and treatment.
A Scenario for HIPAA Violation and Reporting Responsibilities
Being the healthcare manager, I encountered a scenario in which one of the nurses under my supervision violated the HIPAA laws on patient privacy. The nurse violated the HIPAA laws when she shared patient health information with an unauthorized person in the presence of the patient. In this case, the unauthorized person was just a friend to the patient. According to Calhoun, Kiel & Morgan (2018), failure to carry out due diligence to establish the people who are authorized to access the patient’s health information is a violation of HIPAA. Similarly, this case qualified to be a violation of the HIPAA laws because the patient’s visitor did not have a legally executed power of the attorney to allow him to access the patient’s health information. Following this incident, I engaged the hospital’s counsellor to offer psychological support to the patient and assure that what happened was accidental. The first step I took in handling this case was to quickly respond to the patient’s complaints by asking her to fill out a complaint form. The HIPAA privacy officer took over the case and investigated to ascertain if there was a violation of HIPAA. The privacy officer’s investigation confirmed that indeed there was a violation. Based on the findings of the investigation, I reported the violation to the human resource department for disciplinary action. The disciplinary measure taken against the nurse would ensure future compliance as per the HIPAA provisions. In the meantime, I ensured that the nurse who violated HIPAA is trained on the HIPAA policy on patient medical data confidentiality.
Conclusion
Healthcare workers need additional training on the proper application of HIPAA legislation. However, with current technological advancement, patient health information must be protected from unauthorized access. HIPAA laws have compelled healthcare facilities to redesign their rooms to ensure patient privacy, which has resulted in hospitals incurring additional costs. Overall, the HIPAA provisions have affected the way healthcare professionals deliver care resulting in poor quality care and patient outcomes.
References
Calhoun, B. C., Kiel, J. M., & Morgan, A. A. (2018). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Violations by Physician Assistant Students: Applying Laws to Clinical Vignettes. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 29(3), 154-157.
Cohen, I. G., & Mello, M. M. (2018). HIPAA and protecting health information in the 21st century. Jama, 320(3), 231-232.