Assessment 2 Instructions: Protected Health Information (PHI): Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality Best Practices

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Protected Health Information (PHI): Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality Best Practices

Perla Rodriguez

Capella University

NURS-FPX4040

Dr. Donna Weeks

July 3, 2022

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Patient Health Information (PHI)

Patient Health Information refers to the demographic information, the medical history, and

the outcomes from of the laboratory and test procedures. It also refers to the mental health

condition, the insurance data, and important information relevant to the identification of persons

and determining the appropriate diagnosis and treatment plan. The worldwide increase and

emergence in technology and its adoption have resulted in its reinforcement in the healthcare

sector. One example is the introduction of electronic health records in the healthcare delivery

system to help promote and successfully manage health information. Despite the benefits of these

technologies in handling patient information, there is also risk linked to their usage. They affect the

information's privacy, security, and confidentiality. To ensure effective patient data management

through monitoring security, privacy, and confidentiality; the Health Insurance Probability and

Accountability Act (HIPAA) has been introduced (Takyi, 2019). The law was targeted at

promoting compliance with security, privacy, and confidentiality of health information.

Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality

Maintaining privacy, confidentiality, and security are areas healthcare providers are

expected to focus on in health promotion. Privacy involves showing respect to the procedures set

to promote the protection of health information. Security is the approach adopted to ensure that

there is protection to the medical records specific to some patients. Confidentiality, on the other

hand, helps in dictating the restriction that healthcare providers have when it comes to sharing

information with others (Takyi, 2019). The efforts that are used to ensure that there is the

promotion of security, confidentiality, and privacy to data include the use of stronger passwords,

continuous updating of the passwords, and restriction of the information sharing to the permitted

individuals. There is also the process of encrypting data.

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The Evidence Associated with Social Media Use and PHI

Healthcare providers are expected to be careful while using social media. This is important

in ensuring the protection of the patient's health information and promoting security, privacy, and

confidentiality. The improper utilization of social media has been considered to be among the risk

factors that violate HIPAA laws. Social media through mobile phones has been made easier due to

the browsers enabling providers to share links, information, images, and dialogue information or

content (Edemekong et al., 2020). Healthcare providers find it easier to share crucial data among

them. It also exposes them to the risk of breaching the rules that guide the privacy, confidentiality,

and security of patient health information.

Therefore, successfully managing patient health information is the personal responsibility

of healthcare providers. They must ensure that ethical principles and HIPAA rules are followed to

avoid falling victim to security, confidentiality, and privacy breach. Healthcare providers are

responsible for ensuring that the information shared via social media is managed with an ongoing

review process to promote privacy, confidentiality, and security issues. The other intervention is to

ensure the incorporation of professional boundaries, especially when interacting with clients using

the social media platform. The healthcare provider needs to make sure that the person on the

receiving is intended. It is also a requirement to ensure that the third party is included (U.S.

Department of Health & Human Services, 2017). Therefore, healthcare providers such as nurses

must be aware that the irresponsible use of social media results in legal battles. It indicates that

there is non-compliance with the rules outlined in the HIPAA rules.

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References

Edemekong, P., Annamaraju, P., & Haydel, M. (2020). Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability (HIPAA). Statpearls.

Takyi, H. (2019). Security, Privacy, Confidentiality and Integrity of Emerging Healthcare

Technologies: A Framework for Quality of Life Technologies to be HIPAA/HITECH

Compliant, with Emphasis on Health Kiosk Design. (Doctoral Dissertation, University of

Pitsburg).

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2017). HIPAA for Professionals. https://www.

Hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/index.html