HIPAA DEFINITIONS FOR ELECTRONIC PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION:

Encryption means the use of an algorithmic process to transform data into a form in which there is a low probability of assigning meaning without use of a confidential process or key.

Access means the ability or the means necessary to read, write, modify, or communicate data/information or otherwise use any system resource.

Authentication means the corroboration that a person is the one claimed.

Technical safeguards means the technology, policy and procedures for its use that protect electronic protected health information and control access to it.

Workstation means an electronic computing device, for example, a laptop or desktop computer, or any other device that performs similar functions, and electronic media stored in its immediate environment implement the implementation specifications.

Workforce clearance procedure
(Addressable). Implement procedures to determine that the access of a workforce member to electronic protected health information is appropriate.

Everyone has the right to privacy regardless of class and status in the society. This applies to the celebrities as well. Even if their lives have been like open books to the media and the public, they are still accorded their right to privacy.

It has been on the news recently about the alleged selling of some celebrities’ hospital records to the media. What’s sad about this is that it has been facilitated by one of the hospital staff who just maybe would like to earn some money.  The private records were illegally obtained to sell to some people who take advantage of the situation just so they can have stories to run the next day.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects people’s private medical records and allows for civil and criminal penalties.  It’s just disconcerting to think that even with this, there are still people out there who compromise their dignity and respond more to the call of money.

Yes, we all have a right to privacy in our lives. But the HIPPA regulations today have made it hard for caregivers of the elderly and disabled. My mother is the caregiver of my aunt. My aunt is 86 years old and has been admitted to a skilled nursing home facility. Additionally, my mother has a Power of Attorney to handle all of her affairs. I know that there are different variations of Power of Attorneys.

However, my aunt was admitted to the hospital not long ago. But this was not known to my mother. It was just so happened that my mother called the facility to inquire about my aunt’s welfare and was told my a staff member that they could not release any information. According to the staff member, they would need a signed Release of Information! I can see the why the staff member was reluctant to give this information over the phone, but they had the records there at there facility which only required a little work.

Nevertheless, my mother contacted the hospital in her town because that was the nearest hospital to the skilled nursing facility. The hospital staff would not give my mother any specific details, but they did let her know that my aunt was in the emerency room. Of course, when my mother went to the hospital the doctors and nurses were reluctant to give her any details. It is lucky that my mother carried the copies of the Power of Attorney her and my aunt had signed previously. HIPPA has made it almost impossible for caregivers to provide the care for their loved ones.  

It seems like every time myself or my kids go to the doctor there are HIPPA forms that have to be signed! I just do not get it. I usually just sign them and not read what the forms say….Until 2 days ago I took my daughter to an appointment and the receptionist told me I would need to sign the HIPPA form. I was like uggghhh AGAIN!! I decided sit down this time and really read it.

I understood the first paragraph no problem and then all of a sudden the form went into all this legal/medical mumbo jumbo. It is ridiculous. The paragraphs were repetitive also. I asked the receptionisht what it all meant. She basically said it’s for your rights and your privacy. I just can’t believe how confusing the government and or the medical field makes the wording of the form. It makes ya wonder what all of it really means. Has there been a time when peoples medical information has been given out without authorization… Hopefully soon there will be an easier to understand HIPPA form!

From HIPAABook.com:

These are the top 10 essential HIPAA books for IT managers to read. Each of these popular titles was rated most highly useful by the cutomers at Amazon.

Read article: Top 10 highest-rated HIPAA books for IT Managers

From the title one could assume that I’m talking to the average person. After all, millions of people throw away old passports, ids, checkbooks, credit card applications and other information that could allow a thief to steal their identity. But believe it or not I’m talking about large companies and hospitals, people and places that should have more sense than to leave your private records in a box outside for anyone to walk off with.

Recent news reports that sensitive medical records were placed in plain sight within a recycling Dumpster in Utah County are disturbing, but not terribly unique.
According to a recent story on medical privacy in the Grand Rapids Press, several reports have been made nationwide of patient information being carelessly thrown in places where people easily could grab Social Security numbers and other sensitive data. The nation’s three largest drugstore chains, Walgreens, CVS Corp. and Rite Aid, are planning to revisit the way they handle such information, the paper said.

It seems that consumers grow more fearful everyday about the privacy of their medical records a new survey shows. Besides falling into the wrong hands they are afraid of fraud, theft and a host of other problems that keep them up at night.

The survey commissioned by EpicTide and conducted by The Benchmarking Company, an independent research firm, measured consumer awareness of medical identity theft and patient safety concerns. The survey report explores issues including:

--  Consumer awareness of medical identity theft and its consequences
--  Rising rate of incidence of medical identity theft among the general
population
--  Consumers' understanding of their patient rights
--  Consumer perceptions regarding the ability of healthcare organizations
to protect patient records and ensure patient safety
--  Consumer perceptions regarding the responsibility of healthcare
organizations in protecting patient records and reporting security
breaches.

A new survey shows that many Americans want more to access to their health care files because they feel that this would help cut down on the errors and improve overall health care quality by giving them an e-copy. However they are afraid that this could lead to fraud if this file gets into the wrong hands.

But eight in 10 Americans are very concerned about identity theft or fraud and the possibility of their data being used by marketers without their permission – with three-quarters of those surveyed saying the government has a role in establishing privacy and confidentiality protections for electronic health information.

HIPAA Advisory

The US Senate has passed a new law that would make it illegal to get your hands on phone number if you got them by being deceptive. That’s great. However I noticed that this only came up after the whole Hewlitt Packard problem that was going on. I somehow doubt it had much to do with the average consumer and their rights. This new law would ban people from buying and selling mass amounts of phone numbers without the consumers permission. Seems like another slam against those pesky telemarketers.

Currently there is no law against the practice. The issue came under public scrutiny when Hewlett-Packard Co. admitted that its investigators obtained telephone records of board members, employees and journalists without their permission as the company tried to find out who was leaking sensitive information.

High Tech companies like Hewlett Packard is hoping to push some new laws that would help protect citizens personal data online while still allowing other information to flow smoothly.

“We think the time has come for a comprehensive privacy bill that would protect consumers’ personal information while still allowing the flow of information needed for commerce online,” Ira Rubinstein, a Microsoft lawyer, said this week.

The HIPAA act should protect our medical privacy but do hospital officials go to far for fear of being sued? In this article are a few cases that make you question the HIPAA and the people who are supposed to follow the rules, in this case they seem to go overboard.

Although it started as a good idea, HIPAA has gotten out of control. A nursing student was reprimanded for violating the privacy act after she was seen reviewing her very own medical record. A health department representative refused to disclose to a newspaper the number of influenza cases in the county, incorrectly citing that it would be a HIPAA violation.

Although we have laws to govern our medical privacy, little information can reveal a lot about patients. Genetic testing is the problem because while it helps us it also gives out more information that is supposed to be private and it seems that they don’t know how to handle the problem.

Genetic data is generally covered by confidentiality and personal data protection laws, combined in most countries with recourse to over-arching constitutional protection, or human rights legislation.

A woman in Milwaukee is suing Community Memorial Hospital in Menomonee Falls because she says that they gave personal medical information to her mother. She says that while in the hospital to give birth a nurse came into her room and asked her personal and private questions in front of her mother. She felt forced to answer the medical questions but the problem was, her mother did not know of her other medical conditions.

The Center for Women and Families will give rape victims something that is missing from most medical centers; Privacy. The new clinic will have medical care, counseling and criminal investigation all in one place to minimize the trauma of the victims.

Kaiser Permanente in California came up with the idea to take all patients records and change them over to electronic formats but that was easier said than done apparently. There are undertaking a lot of problems and the SVP of the project has quit.