HSE 340 Milestone 3
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School
Southern New Hampshire University *
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Course
340
Subject
Health Science
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
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2
Uploaded by HighnessCrabPerson1262
Milestone 3
HSE 340
Southern New Hampshire University
Kimberly Ranftl
The key ethical considerations to be addressed in a hospital setting are adherence to the
patient privacy practices. We have a duty to our patients and clients to keep their confidential
information confidential and only release that information with written permission from the
patient. The hospital staff must adhere to the HIPAA laws and 42 CFR Part 2 regulations. This
includes written correspondence and taking special care when speaking about a patient in public
areas (McGowan, 2012).
The laws or regulations critical to releasing healthcare and other confidential information
to the courts are the HIPAA law protecting medical information. 42 CFR Part 2 is an additional
privacy law which protects a patient’s substance abuse treatment records from being released
with their regular medical record. The HIPAA form and 42 CFR Part 2 must be signed for the
courts to have access to the patient’s full medical records. The court can submit a subpoena or
court order to the hospital requiring them to release all records without signed consent from the
patient, and in this case, the hospital must comply.
Human services agencies must train their staff in records release procedures and policies.
In many cases, lower-level staff are the ones who perform these tasks, and it is imperative that
they understand the ramifications if information is improperly released. Most agencies require
that a patient sign a HIPAA information form upon entry to their practice and I find it important
that the staff go over the form verbally with the patient rather than expecting them to read and
sign the form. There are many forms to fill out when going to the doctor for the first time and
patients rarely read everything before signing them.
When preparing the release of medical records for the courts, the human services agency
personnel should go over the release or court order thoroughly before preparing the documents.
The only information that should be released is exactly what the release or order is asking for, no
more and no less.
References:
McGowan, C. (2012). Patients’ Confidentiality. Critical Care Nurse, 32(5), 61–65.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.4037/ccn2012135
Corey, G. (2020). Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions (10th ed.). Cengage
Learning US.
https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781337671378
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