Protected Health Information Essay.

Protected Health Information Essay.

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

Prepare a 2-page interprofessional staff update on HIPAA and appropriate social media use in health care.
As you begin to consider the assessment, it would be an excellent choice to complete the Breach of Protected Health Information (PHI) activity. The will support your success with the assessment by creating the opportunity for you to test your knowledge of potential privacy, security, and confidentiality violations of protected health information. The activity is not graded and counts towards course engagement.Protected Health Information Essay.
Health professionals today are increasingly accountable for the use of protected health information (PHI). Various government and regulatory agencies promote and support privacy and security through a variety of activities. Examples include:Protected Health Information Essay.

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• Meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR).
• Provision of EHR incentive programs through Medicare and Medicaid.
• Enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules.
• Release of educational resources and tools to help providers and hospitals address privacy, security, and confidentiality risks in their practices.
• Technological advances, such as the use of social media platforms and applications for patient progress tracking and communication, have provided more access to health information and improved communication between care providers and patients.

  At the same time, advances such as these have resulted in more risk for protecting PHI. Nurses typically receive annual training on protecting patient information in their everyday practice. This training usually emphasizes privacy, security, and confidentiality best practices such as:

• Keeping passwords secure.
• Logging out of public computers.
• Sharing patient information only with those directly providing care or who have been granted permission to receive this information.
• Today, one of the major risks associated with privacy and confidentiality of patient identity and data relates to social media. Many nurses and other health care providers place themselves at risk when they use social media or other electronic communication systems inappropriately. For example, a Texas nurse was recently terminated for posting patient vaccination information on Facebook. In another case, a New York nurse was terminated for posting an insensitive emergency department photo on her Instagram account.Protected Health Information Essay.

  Health care providers today must develop their skills in mitigating risks to their patients and themselves related to patient information. At the same time, they need to be able distinguish between effective and ineffective uses of social media in health care.

  This assessment will require you to develop a staff update for the interprofessional team to encourage team members to protect the privacy, confidentiality, and security of patient information.Protected Health Information Essay.

  Demonstration of Proficiency

  By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 1: Describe nurses’ and the interdisciplinary team’s role in informatics with a focus on electronic health information and patient care technology to support decision making.
  • Describe the security, privacy, and confidentially laws related to protecting sensitive electronic health information that govern the interdisciplinary team.Protected Health Information Essay.
  • Explain the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to safeguard sensitive electronic health information.
• Competency 2: Implement evidence-based strategies to effectively manage protected health information.
  • Identify evidence-based approaches to mitigate risks to patients and health care staff related to sensitive electronic health information.
  • Develop a professional, effective staff update that educates interprofessional team members about protecting the security, privacy, and confidentiality of patient data, particularly as it pertains to social media usage.
• Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly communication to facilitate use of health information and patient care technologies.
  • Follow APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references.
  • Create a clear, concise, well-organized, and professional staff update that is generally free from errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Preparation

  To successfully prepare to complete this assessment, complete the following:

• Review the infographics on protecting PHI provided in the resources for this assessment, or find other infographics to review. These infographics serve as examples of how to succinctly summarize evidence-based information.
  • Analyze these infographics, and distill them into five or six principles of what makes them effective. As you design your interprofessional staff update, apply these principles. Note: In a staff update, you will not have all the images and graphics that an infographic might contain. Instead, focus your analysis on what makes the messaging effective.
• Select from any of the following options, or a combination of options, the focus of your interprofessional staff update:
  • Social media best practices.
  • What not to do: Social media.
  • Social media risks to patient information.
  • Steps to take if a breach occurs.
• Conduct independent research on the topic you have selected in addition to reviewing the suggested resources for this assessment. This information will serve as the source(s) of the information contained in your interprofessional staff update. Consult the BSN Program Library Research Guide for help in identifying scholarly and/or authoritative sources.Protected Health Information Essay.
• Instructions

  In this assessment, assume you are a nurse in an acute care, community, school, nursing home, or other health care setting. Before your shift begins, you scroll through Facebook and notice that a coworker has posted a photo of herself and a patient on Facebook. The post states, “I am so happy Jane is feeling better. She is just the best patient I’ve ever had, and I am excited that she is on the road to recovery.”Protected Health Information Essay.

  You have recently completed your annual continuing education requirements at work and realize this is a breach of your organization’s social media policy. Your organization requires employees to immediately report such breaches to the privacy officer to ensure the post is removed immediately and that the nurse responsible receives appropriate corrective action.

  You follow appropriate organizational protocols and report the breach to the privacy officer. The privacy officer takes swift action to remove the post. Due to the severity of the breach, the organization terminates the nurse.Protected Health Information Essay.

  Based on this incident’s severity, your organization has established a task force with two main goals:

• Educate staff on HIPAA and appropriate social media use in health care.
• Prevent confidentiality, security, and privacy breaches.
• The task force has been charged with creating a series of interprofessional staff updates on the following topics:
• Social media best practices.
• What not to do: Social media.
• Social media risks to patient information.
• Steps to take if a breach occurs.
• You are asked to select one of the topics, or a combination of several topics, and create the content for a staff update containing a maximum of two content pages. When distributed to interprofessional team members, the update will consist of one double-sided page.

  The task force has asked team members assigned to the topics to include the following content in their updates in addition to content on their selected topic(s):

• What is protected health information (PHI)?
  • Be sure to include essential HIPAA information.
• What are privacy, security, and confidentiality?
  • Define and provide examples of privacy, security, and confidentiality concerns related to the use of the technology in health care.
  • Explain the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to safeguard sensitive electronic health information.
• What evidence relating to social media usage and PHI do interprofessional team members need to be aware of? For example:
  • How many nurses have been terminated for inappropriate social media usage in the United States?
  • What types of sanctions have health care organizations imposed on interdisciplinary team members who have violated social media policies?
  • What have been the financial penalties assessed against health care organizations for inappropriate social media usage?
  • What evidence-based strategies have health care organizations employed to prevent or reduce confidentiality, privacy, and security breaches, particularly related to social media usage?
• Notes
• Your staff update is limited to two double-spaced content pages. Be selective about the content you choose to include in your update so that you are able to meet the page length requirement. Include need-to-know information. Leave out nice-to-know information.
• Many times people do not read staff updates, do not read them carefully, or do not read them to the end. Ensure your staff update piques staff members’ interest, highlights key points, and is easy to read. Avoid overcrowding the update with too much content.
• Also supply a separate reference page that includes 2–3 peer-reviewed and 1–2 non-peer-reviewed resources (for a total of 3–5 resources) to support the staff update content.
• Additional Requirements
• Written communication: Ensure the staff update is free from errors that detract from the overall message.
• Submission length: Maximum of two double-spaced content pages.
• Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12-point.
• Citations and references: Provide a separate reference page that includes 2–3 current, peer-reviewed and 1–2 current, non-peer-reviewed in-text citations and references (total of 3–5 resources) that support the staff update’s content. Current mean no older than 5 years.
• APA format: Be sure your citations and references adhere to APA format. Consult the APA Style and Format page for an APA refresher.
• Portfolio Prompt: Save your presentation to your ePortfolio. Submissions to the ePortfolio will be part of your final capstone course.
• SCORING GUIDE
  Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated.
  VIEW SCORING GUIDE

• 1. What are best practices for protecting PHI against public viewing?

  Create areas where you may review written materials and charts containing PHI that will not be in view or easily accessed by persons who do not need the information. If charts or other documents cannot practicably be kept in a secure area during use (e.g., while being analyzed by your instructor, awaiting a practitioner’s viewing), then establish a practice of turning documents over to minimize incidental viewing.Protected Health Information Essay.

  1. Locate printers, copiers, and fax machines in areas that minimize public viewing.  Promptly retrieve documents containing PHI to minimize viewing by persons who do not need the information.
  2. Utilize computer privacy screens and/or screen savers when practicable. If privacy screens are not available, then locate computer monitors in areas or at angles that minimize viewing by persons who do not need the information.
  3. Locate whiteboards that may be used to display PHI in areas that minimize viewing by persons who do not need the information.
  4. Do not leave materials containing PHI in conference rooms, on desks, or on counters or other areas where the PHI may be accessible to persons who do not have a need to know the information.
  5. Escort patients, repair and delivery representatives, and any other persons not having a need to view the PHI into areas where PHI is maintained. Before providing a fax or copier repair representative access to a machine, ensure that no PHI has inadvertently been left on the machine.Protected Health Information Essay.

  2. What are best practices for preventing conversations about PHI from being overheard?

  1. Become aware of your surroundings and who is available to hear any discussions concerning PHI.
  2. Refrain from discussing PHI beyond that which is the minimum necessary to conduct business.
  3. Keep voices down when discussing PHI.
  4. Refrain from discussing PHI in public areas such as elevators, rest rooms, and reception areas, unless doing so is necessary to provide treatment to one or more patients.
  5. Utilize private space (e.g., separate rooms) when discussing PHI with faculty members, clients, patients, and family members.
  6. Phone conversations should be done in a private space away from the hearing of those without a need to know PHI.
  7. Do not relay or discuss PHI over the phone unless you confirm the identity of the person to whom you are speaking and their authority to receive the PHI being discussed.

  3. What are best practices for the storage and disposal of documents that contain PHI?

  1. Maintain documents containing PHI in locked cabinets or locked rooms when the documents are not in use and after working hours.
  2. Establish physical and/or procedural controls (e.g., key or combination access, access authorization levels) that limit access to only those persons who have a need for the information.
  3. Control and secure keys to locked files and areas. Do not leave keys in locks or in areas accessible to persons who do not have need for the stored PHI.
  4. Do not place documents containing PHI in trash bins. Promptly shred documents containing PHI when no longer needed, in accordance with College procedures.Protected Health Information Essay.

  4. What are best practices for safeguarding computer workstations and databases that contain PHI?

  1. Establish controls that limit access to PHI to only those persons who have a need for the information.
  2. Exit any database containing PHI before leaving workstations unattended so that PHI is not left on a computer screen where it may be viewed by persons who do not have a need to see the information.
  3. Do not disclose or release to other persons any item or process which is used to verify authority to create, access or amend PHI, including but not limited to, any badge, password, personal identification number, token or access card, or electronic signature.
  4. Follow Information Technology Department instructions regarding updating and changing passwords and installing security updates.
  5. Delete or erase PHI from any computer drive as soon as the PHI is no longer needed. Contact the Information Technology Department regarding the disposal of hardware to assure that no PHI is retained on the machine.
  6. Establish a system for restoring or recovering any loss of electronic PHI.
  7. Maintain an accurate inventory of the location of all workstations that contain PHI.
  8. Maintain an accurate inventory of all software located on the workstations.
  9. To prevent risk to the system and inadvertent release of PHI, prevent the unauthorized downloading of software.

  5. What are best practices for faxing PHI?

  1. Fax PHI only when other types of communication are not available or practical.
  2. Limit the PHI contained in the fax to the minimum necessary to accomplish the purpose of the communication.
  3. When faxing to a patient, do not fax sensitive PHI such as PHI related to alcohol abuse, drug abuse, mental health issues, HIV testing, antigens indicating hepatitis infection, sexually transmitted diseases (STD), or presence of malignancy.
  4. Do not use faxing as a means to respond to subpoenas, court orders, or search warrants.
  5. Take reasonable precautions to ensure that the intended recipient is either available to receive the fax as it arrives or has exclusive access to the fax machine.
  6. Pre-program frequently used non-patient fax numbers to minimize potential for misdirected faxes. Confirm pre-programmed numbers at least every six (6) months.
  7. If there is any reason to question the accuracy of a fax number, contact the recipient to confirm the number prior to faxing PHI.
  8. When faxing PHI, use fax cover sheets that include the following information:
     • Sender’s name, facility, telephone and fax number
     • Date and time of transmission
     • Number of pages being faxed including cover sheet
     • Intended recipient’s name, facility, telephone and fax number
     • Name and number to call to report a transmittal problem or to inform of a misdirected fax
     • Confidentiality notice such as the following:

     Confidentiality Notice : The information contained in this facsimile transmission is privileged and confidential intended for the use of the addressee listed on the cover page. The authorized recipient of this information is prohibited from disclosing this information to any other party and is required to destroy the information after its stated need has been fulfilled. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or action taken in reliance on the contents of these documents is strictly prohibited (Federal Regulation 42 CFR, Part 2, and 45 CFR, Part 160). If you have received this fax in error, please notify the sender immediately by calling the phone number above to arrange for return of these documents.Protected Health Information Essay.

  9. Do not include any PHI on the fax cover sheet.
  10. If notified of a misdirected fax, instruct the unintended recipient to return the information by mail or destroy the information by shredding.

  6. What are best practices for E-mailing PHI?

  1. E-mail should not be used for sensitive or urgent matters. Topics appropriate for e-mail include appointment scheduling and routine follow-up questions.
  2. Do not use e-mail to convey the results of tests related to HIV status, sexually transmitted diseases, presence of a malignancy, presence of a hepatitis infection, or abusing the use of drugs.
  3. If possible, do not transmit PHI via e-mail unless using an IT-approved secure encryption procedure.
  4. If a secure e-mail server is not used, do not e-mail lab results.
  5. Limit the PHI contained in the e-mail to the minimum necessary to accomplish the purpose of the communication.
  6. E-mail PHI only to a known party (e.g., patient, health care provider).
  7. Prior to e-mailing PHI to an individual:
     • Obtain the individual’s consent prior to communicating PHI with him or her even if the individual initiated the correspondence; and
     • Clearly communicate to the individual the risks and limitations associated with using e-mail for communications of PHI.
  8. When e-mailing to a non-health care provider third party, always obtain the consent of the individual who is the subject of the PHI.
  9. Do not e-mail PHI to a group distribution list unless individuals have consented to such method of communication.
  10. Send PHI as a password protected/encrypted attachment when possible.
  11. In the subject heading, do not use patient names, identifiers or other specifics; consider the use of a confidentiality banner such as “This is a confidential medical communication”.
  12. Include in e-mail stationery a confidentiality notice such as the following:Protected Health Information Essay.
      

      Confidentiality Notice : This e-mail transmission, and any documents, files or previous e-mail messages attached to it, may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, or a person responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of any of the information contained in or attached to this message is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you have received this transmission in error, please immediately notify us by reply e-mail or by telephone at (XXX) XXX-XXXX, and destroy the original transmission and its attachments without reading them or saving them to disk.

      Question Description
      Prepare a 2-page interprofessional staff update on HIPAA and appropriate social media use in health care.

      INTRODUCTION
      Health professionals today are increasingly accountable for the use of protected health information (PHI). Various government and regulatory agencies promote and support privacy and security through a variety of activities. Examples include:

      Meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR).
      Provision of EHR incentive programs through Medicare and Medicaid.
      Enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules.
      Release of educational resources and tools to help providers and hospitals address privacy, security, and confidentiality risks in their practices.
      Technological advances, such as the use of social media platforms and applications for patient progress tracking and communication, have provided more access to health information and improved communication between care providers and patients.

      At the same time, advances such as these have resulted in more risk for protecting PHI. Nurses typically receive annual training on protecting patient information in their everyday practice. This training usually emphasizes privacy, security, and confidentiality best practices such as:

      Keeping passwords secure.
      Logging out of public computers.
      Sharing patient information only with those directly providing care or who have been granted permission to receive this information.
      Today, one of the major risks associated with privacy and confidentiality of patient identity and data relates to social media. Many nurses and other health care providers place themselves at risk when they use social media or other electronic communication systems inappropriately. For example, a Texas nurse was recently terminated for posting patient vaccination information on Facebook. In another case, a New York nurse was terminated for posting an insensitive emergency department photo on her Instagram account.Protected Health Information Essay.

      Health care providers today must develop their skills in mitigating risks to their patients and themselves related to patient information. At the same time, they need to be able distinguish between effective and ineffective uses of social media in health care.

      This assessment will require you to develop a staff update for the interprofessional team to encourage team members to protect the privacy, confidentiality, and security of patient information.

      INSTRUCTIONS
      In this assessment, assume you are a nurse in an acute care, community, school, nursing home, or other health care setting. Before your shift begins, you scroll through Facebook and notice that a coworker has posted a photo of herself and a patient on Facebook. The post states, “I am so happy Jane is feeling better. She is just the best patient I’ve ever had, and I am excited that she is on the road to recovery.”Protected Health Information Essay.

      You have recently completed your annual continuing education requirements at work and realize this is a breach of your organization’s social media policy. Your organization requires employees to immediately report such breaches to the privacy officer to ensure the post is removed immediately and that the nurse responsible receives appropriate corrective action.Protected Health Information Essay.

      You follow appropriate organizational protocols and report the breach to the privacy officer. The privacy officer takes swift action to remove the post. Due to the severity of the breach, the organization terminates the nurse.

      Based on this incident’s severity, your organization has established a task force with two main goals:

      Educate staff on HIPAA and appropriate social media use in health care.
      Prevent confidentiality, security, and privacy breaches.
      The task force has been charged with creating a series of interprofessional staff updates on the following topics:Protected Health Information Essay.

      Social media best practices.
      What not to do: Social media.
      Social media risks to patient information.
      Steps to take if a breach occurs.
      You are asked to select one of the topics, or a combination of several topics, and create the content for a staff update containing a maximum of two content pages. When distributed to interprofessional team members, the update will consist of one double-sided page.

      The task force has asked team members assigned to the topics to include the following content in their updates in addition to content on their selected topic(s):Protected Health Information Essay.

      What is protected health information (PHI)?
      Be sure to include essential HIPAA information.
      What are privacy, security, and confidentiality?
      Define and provide examples of privacy, security, and confidentiality concerns related to the use of the technology in health care.
      Explain the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to safeguard sensitive electronic health information.
      What evidence relating to social media usage and PHI do interprofessional team members need to be aware of? For example:
      How many nurses have been terminated for inappropriate social media usage in the United States?
      What types of sanctions have health care organizations imposed on interdisciplinary team members who have violated social media policies?
      What have been the financial penalties assessed against health care organizations for inappropriate social media usage?
      What evidence-based strategies have health care organizations employed to prevent or reduce confidentiality, privacy, and security breaches, particularly related to social media usage?
      Notes
      Your staff update is limited to two double-spaced content pages. Be selective about the content you choose to include in your update so that you are able to meet the page length requirement. Include need-to-know information. Leave out nice-to-know information.
      Many times people do not read staff updates, do not read them carefully, or do not read them to the end. Ensure your staff update piques staff members’ interest, highlights key points, and is easy to read. Avoid overcrowding the update with too much content.
      Also supply a separate reference page that includes 2–3 peer-reviewed and 1–2 non-peer-reviewed resources (for a total of 3–5 resources) to support the staff update content.
      Additional Requirements
      Written communication: Ensure the staff update is free from errors that detract from the overall message.
      Submission length: Maximum of two double-spaced content pages.
      Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12-point.
      Citations and references: Provide a separate reference page that includes 2–3 current, peer-reviewed and 1–2 current, non-peer-reviewed in-text citations and references (total of 3–5 resources) that support the staff update’s content. Current mean no older than 5 years.
      APA format: Be sure your citations and references adhere to APA format. Consult the APA Style and Format page for an APA refresher.Protected Health Information Essay.

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