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With technology growing so fast nowadays, keeping PHI safe is more important and complex than ever. Social media is a great tool for healthcare workers to share, learn, and connect. However, it also makes it easier for patient information to be shared when it shouldn’t be. In 1996, the U.S. made a law called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
This law helps keep patient health information safe from being shared without permission. HIPAA works to keep healthcare information moving smoothly, protect it from being stolen, and give guidelines about health insurance. It’s very important for those in healthcare to know about HIPAA rules and to learn the right way to use social media so patient information stays safe (Clayton et al., 2022).
Pillars of Patient Information Safety: Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality
Privacy: HIPAA ensures the right of patients to dictate who can or cannot access their PHI. Example: A patient might desire to withhold their diabetic condition from their academic institution, and HIPAA gives them that authority.
Security: Under the HIPAA Security Rule, healthcare institutions are mandated to protect PHI, especially in electronic forms (ePHI). This ensures that entities take proactive measures to guard against unauthorized PHI breaches. Such lapses, beyond compromising patient trust, can lead to both monetary and legal consequences.
Example: A system hack that exposes patients’ data can cause HIPAA breaches, resulting in substantial penalties.
Confidentiality: Rooted deeply within HIPAA’s guidelines is the commitment that medical professionals will not disclose patient information without proper authorization. Example: Leaking a patient’s medical diagnosis on a public forum without their permission is not just a violation of trust but also a clear contravention of HIPAA, highlighting the importance of confidentiality in the age of digital communication (Davis & Ramzan et al., 2022).
The Value of Interdisciplinary Collaboration
The protection of Protected Health Information (PHI) demands an interdisciplinary approach:
The synergetic effort of varied professionals ensures that PHI protection is both robust and relevant in our ever-evolving digital era (Nashwan et al., 2023).
Treading with Caution: Social Media Policy Breaches
Recent studies indicate that nearly 23% of healthcare professionals have witnessed PHI breaches via social media.
About 8% were aware of peers facing termination due to inappropriate online conduct.
Repercussions can range from professional license revocation, job loss, to legal actions.
Institutions too can be penalized financially for HIPAA transgressions stemming from social media (Yeo & Banfield, 2022).
">With technology growing so fast nowadays, keeping PHI safe is more important and complex than ever. Social media is a great tool for healthcare workers to share, learn, and connect. However, it also makes it easier for patient information to be shared when it shouldn’t be. In 1996, the U.S. made a law called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
This law helps keep patient health information safe from being shared without permission. HIPAA works to keep healthcare information moving smoothly, protect it from being stolen, and give guidelines about health insurance. It’s very important for those in healthcare to know about HIPAA rules and to learn the right way to use social media so patient information stays safe (Clayton et al., 2022).
Pillars of Patient Information Safety: Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality
Privacy: HIPAA ensures the right of patients to dictate who can or cannot access their PHI. Example: A patient might desire to withhold their diabetic condition from their academic institution, and HIPAA gives them that authority.
Security: Under the HIPAA Security Rule, healthcare institutions are mandated to protect PHI, especially in electronic forms (ePHI). This ensures that entities take proactive measures to guard against unauthorized PHI breaches. Such lapses, beyond compromising patient trust, can lead to both monetary and legal consequences.
Example: A system hack that exposes patients’ data can cause HIPAA breaches, resulting in substantial penalties.
Confidentiality: Rooted deeply within HIPAA’s guidelines is the commitment that medical professionals will not disclose patient information without proper authorization. Example: Leaking a patient’s medical diagnosis on a public forum without their permission is not just a violation of trust but also a clear contravention of HIPAA, highlighting the importance of confidentiality in the age of digital communication (Davis & Ramzan et al., 2022).
The Value of Interdisciplinary Collaboration
The protection of Protected Health Information (PHI) demands an interdisciplinary approach:
The synergetic effort of varied professionals ensures that PHI protection is both robust and relevant in our ever-evolving digital era (Nashwan et al., 2023).
Treading with Caution: Social Media Policy Breaches
Recent studies indicate that nearly 23% of healthcare professionals have witnessed PHI breaches via social media.
About 8% were aware of peers facing termination due to inappropriate online conduct.
Repercussions can range from professional license revocation, job loss, to legal actions.
Institutions too can be penalized financially for HIPAA transgressions stemming from social media (Yeo & Banfield, 2022).
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