HIM 2012
Q
: Discuss privacy, confidentiality, and security. Explore the differences between
privacy and confidentiality. Discuss how security is related to privacy and
confidentiality.
A:
When a patient is seen in a medical facility, they expect their health
information to be protected by privacy, confidentiality, and security. There is
a federal law that is called the Privacy law that allows a person the rights to
who can view their health information (U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services). This information can be given orally, written, or
electronically but it is still up to the patient's discretion if they would like
known to someone. It is important that patients feel as if their information
remains private through nondisclosure statements from the medical facility
(Tariq, Hackert., 2023). When a patient knows that the medical staff they are
receiving care from takes confidentiality seriously, it makes a patient feel
more comfortable. A patients privacy is protected by the measures of
confidentiality that are taken by a medical facility (Tariq, Hackert., 2023).
Security comes in to wrap it all together and keep it under a more safe
blanket. There is a security rule that requires a patients health records be
protected by some type of security (U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services). IT workers spend time trying to encrypt data for electronic health
records so that the risk of a data leak is lowered (Tariq, Hackert., 2023).
Making sure that a patients health information is protected is a very
important part of following health care law.
References:
Tariq RA, Hackert PB. (Updated Jan. 2023). Patient Confidentiality. StatPearls
Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519540/
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Retrieved on August 30,
2023). Your Rights Under HIPAA. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-
individuals/guidance-materials-for-consumers/index.html
