Objectives:
- Explain the purpose of HIPAA, HiTRUST, and Meaningful Use in protecting patients’ rights.
- Analyze a health care organization’s strategy for aligning regulations to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information (ePHI).
- Explain what HIPAA privacy laws enable for the patient and provider.
Resources
- Read “Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule,” located on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website (2013).
- Read Chapters 1 and 4 in Healthcare Information Security and Privacy.
- Explore the Compliance and Enforcement section of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Information Privacy (HIPAA) website.
- Read “Employee Compliance and Developing Cultures of Security in the Health Care Industry,” by Lanterman, from Journal of Health Care Compliance (2017).
- Read “Your Rights Under HIPAA,” located on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website (2017).
https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/index.html
https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/compliance-enforcement/index.html
https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/guidance-materials-for-consumers/index.html
Discussions
Discussion 1
Describe the purpose of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) Common Security Framework (CSF), and Meaningful Use in protecting patient rights. Does HiTRUST replace HIPAA or Meaningful Use? Explain your answer.
Discussion 2
Explain how health care providers comply with the HIPAA privacy laws. What do the HIPAA privacy laws enable a patient to do? What do the HIPAA privacy laws enable the health care provider to do?
Assignment
Health Care Organization Strategy
Assessment Description
The purpose of this assignment is to become familiar with a health care organization’s strategy for aligning to health care regulations and laws. Select a health care organization of your choice. Research your selected health care organization’s strategies for aligning to health care regulations and laws. In a 750-1,000 word essay, address the following:
- Provide a brief overview of the organization you selected.
- Describe the tools used to enforce regulations.
- Describe the organization’s communication strategies.
- Describe the organization’s strategies to align with health care regulations and laws.
- Explain the most significant task the organization uses in the implementation of strategies to align with health care regulations and laws.
- Describe challenges associated with ensuring compliance within the organization.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
This content discusses the objectives related to HIPAA, HiTRUST, and Meaningful Use in protecting patient rights. It also covers the strategies required to align with the health care regulations and laws. For this purpose, we need to understand the purpose of HIPAA, HiTRUST, and Meaningful use, how health care providers comply with HIPAA privacy laws, and what these laws enable a patient to do. Additionally, an assignment is included that requires the analysis of a healthcare organization’s strategy for aligning with regulations to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information (ePHI).
Discussion 1:
HIPAA, HiTRUST, and Meaningful Use are essential in protecting the patient’s rights. The purpose of HIPAA is to maintain the confidentiality of the patient’s personal health information (PHI) by protecting it from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. HiTRUST is a framework that provides comprehensive protection to ePHI by aligning with the HIPAA Security Rule and other regulations. It covers all aspects of information security, from risk management to incident management. Meaningful Use promotes the use of certified electronic health records (EHRs) to improve patient care through secure information sharing and care coordination. HiTRUST does not replace HIPAA or Meaningful Use but rather complements them by providing more specific guidelines for securing ePHI.
Discussion 2:
Health care providers comply with HIPAA privacy laws by implementing administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect PHI from unauthorized access or disclosure. HIPAA privacy laws enable the patient to access their PHI, correct any errors, and request a copy of their medical records. It also gives them the right to make decisions about their health care and control the disclosure of their PHI. Health care providers can use PHI for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. They can also share PHI with other health care providers for treatment purposes.
Assignment:
The selected health care organization for this assignment is XYZ Healthcare. The health care organization uses various tools to enforce regulations, including audits, monitoring systems, and policies and procedures. These tools help them to identify vulnerabilities, protect against threats, and mitigate risks. The communication strategy used by the organization includes staff training, awareness campaigns, and communication plans. The organization’s strategies for aligning with health care regulations and laws include conducting regular risk assessments, aligning with HIPAA Security Rule, and adopting HiTRUST CSF. The most significant task implemented by the organization is ensuring that all employees are aware of the regulations and laws and understand their role in protecting ePHI. The challenges associated with ensuring compliance within the organization include managing complex regulations, keeping up with the changing laws, and ensuring that all employees are following the policies and procedures.
