HIPAA and Informatics
Write at the minimum 250 words discussion about the following questions.
provide an alternative perspective share stories about your own experiences
use your textbook in support of your questions or ideas
post additional resources (websites, books, articles) Preferably Scholarly Articles
discuss why you agree or disagree with something
utilize knowledge from previous classes and experiences to reply
topic:
How do HIPAA regulations impact Informatics?
What is HITECH Act and how does it impact health care?
HIPAA and Informatics
HIPAA regulations Impact on Informatics
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provide the standards
required to protect patients’ health information. Information technology is extensively applied to
handle patients’ data. HIPAA has, therefore, affected the application of Information technology
in sharing and exchanging information. The HIPAA standards determine the type of the software
that each healthcare provider should apply following the number of services offered (Department
of Health and Human Services, 2017). My perspective is that the complexity of the information
system used should reflect the amount of the data that a facility handles.
HIPAA determines the procedures and policies employed by healthcare organizations
regarding the handling of electronic patients’ information. HIPAA has outlined the minimum
standards concerning the formulation of protocols for handling the patients’ health information.
In other words, the healthcare provider should have rules on the access and use of patents’
electronic data (Snell, 2017). My experience is that several healthcare facilities have drafted
regulations for their workers to guide on the handling of electronic patients’ data.
HITECH Act and Its Impact on Health Care
The Health Information Technology Act provides the legal framework for application of Health
Information Technology (HIT). The act prevents access, release and use of a patient’s health
information (PHI) to parties that have not been authorized for access. Therefore, the act
safeguards the patients’ right to confidentiality. Thus, HITECH protects patients’ information,
which is part of quality healthcare services (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2017). According to my
perspective, I agree with the existence of the law that outlines legal measure to protect PHI.
HITECH facilitates patient access to information about the breach of their health records.
The law requires that the patient be informed of unauthorized access and use of PHI (Wager,
HIPAA AND INFORMATICS 2
Lee, & Glaser, 2017). I agree with the provisions since patient views can be included in making
decisions in case of a breach of protected PHI.
References
Department of Health and Human Services, (2017). Health Information