Discuss issues involved with communicating patient information

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

It is illegal to breach patient confidentiality as outlined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which was passed in August of 1996 . If a patient feels as though confidentiality pertaining to his or her healthcare has been breached, he or she has the right to file a complaint. Employees of a medical office who breach patient confidentiality risk not only losing their jobs but also possible litigation. Some important things to keep in mind regarding patient confidentiality are healthcare professionals should have access to patient files only when they are directly involved in the patient's care; patient information should be shared only with those who need to have direct contact with the patient in order to provide healthcare, share only the required information that is needed, do not discuss confidential patient information within hearing range of anyone not associated with the patient's care, and if it is necessary to fax patient information to healthcare providers, always use a HIPAA-compliant fax cover sheet.