Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was created in 1996 to reduce injustice in the healthcare system. It imposes standards for health information, ensures health data protection, and guarantees health insurance versatility for working people (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018). This paper aims to describe the HIPPA health informatics policy, while also explaining its impact on system implementation, patient-nurse interactions, and workflow.
Speaking of system implementation, the Security Official, and the Privacy Official assist the implementation of all efforts of Appalachian Regional Healthcare attempted to meet the standards provided by HIPAA security regulations. The Security Official and Privacy Official control the security compliance education throughout the organization and report security activities and conflicts to the board on time (ONC, 2019). The Centers for Medicare Services manage and support the HIPAA Administrative Simplification Rules implementation, while the HIPAA Enforcement Rule presents criteria for Administrative Simplification Rules.
Civil and criminal penalties regulate compliance with HIPAA, whereas up to $50,000 fine can be imposed for the refusal to meet its standards, along with imprisonment for up to 1 year. Violations performed while ignoring the HIPPA can increase penalties up to $100,000, along with up to 5-year imprisonment (AMA, n.d.). Misdemeanors perpetrated to trade, spread, or use personal health information for commercial purposes, own profit, or intentional harm may lead to penalties of up to $250,000 and up to 10 years imprisonment.
Most frequent violations of HIPPA include spying on healthcare records, disclosure of secured health data, unseemly distribution of patient health information, leaving gadgets and paperwork unattended, passing patient health data to unapproved person (“The most common HIPAA violations,” 2019). There are also outer incidents that can cause information losses and following HIPAA violations. These are office break-in, sending patient health information to an incorrect address, verbalizing patient health information outside the room, online posts (Sivilli, 2019). Disciplinary procedures for violation differ depending on the severity of the wrongdoing. They range from written warning with required security reeducation to suspension and involuntary termination.
Thus, the implementation of the HIPPA health informatics policy was discussed, and its impact on patient-nurse interactions and workflow was discovered. In summary, failure to comply with HIPPA standards may result in administrative or criminal penalties. The most common violations made by the medical staff are the unintentional or intentional distribution of patient health information to obtain benefits. The responsibility for implementing the rules usually lies on the Security Official, and the Privacy Official.
References
AMA. (n.d.). HIPAA violations and enforcement. Web.
The most common HIPAA violations you should be aware of. (2019). Hippaa Journal. Web.
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
ONC. (2019). Health IT legislation. Web.
Sivilli, F. (2019). Most common HIPAA violations: Common causes of HIPAA breaches. Web.