Course Summary
Health clinicians have constant access to patients’ personal information, and healthcare facilities, clinicians and insurers must store and transmit patients’ personal information. In both instances, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provides guidelines for how clinicians must protect the privacy of patients’ information and how healthcare facilities and other concerned parties must keep that information secure. Health clinicians are required to understand and be compliant with HIPAA. The HIPAA Privacy Rule and the HIPAA Security Rule are especially designed to protect patients, and significant fines and penalties can be brought against clinicians who violate these rules. Public health emergencies, pandemics, natural disasters, or other similar situations raise unique concerns and conflicts as the HIPAA privacy and security provisions are balanced with the need to protect public health.
Course Format
Homestudy
Course Syllabus
- Introduction
- HIPAA Historical Development
- The HIPAA Privacy Rule
- Protected Health Information
- Covered Entities
- Application of the HIPAA Privacy Rule
- HIPAA Security Rule and Health Clinicians
- Information Transmission
- Computer Workstation Security
- HIPAA, Public Health, and Emergency Situations
- Public Health Authorities
- Imminent Danger
- A Person at Risk of Contracting or Spreading a Disease
- Disclosure of Information to the Media
- Treatment
- Disclosure of information to Family, Friends, and Others
- HIPAA and Same-Sex Marriage
- HIPAA Modifications – 2013
- Privacy, Security Rules, and Enforcement Rules
- Breach Notification for Unsecured Protected Health Information
- Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
- Case Study: Research Participation
- Discussion
- Summary
Author
Dana Bartlett, RN, BSN, MSN, MA, CSPI
Dana Bartlett is a professional nurse and author. His clinical experience includes 16 years of ICU and ER experience and over 27 years as a poison control center information specialist. Dana has published numerous CE and journal articles, written NCLEX material, textbook chapters, and more than 100 online CE articles, and done editing and reviewing for publishers such as Elsevier, Lippincott, and Thieme. He has written widely on the subject of toxicology and was a contributing editor, toxicology section, for Critical Care Nurse journal. He is currently employed at the Connecticut Poison Control Center. He lives in Wappingers Falls, NY.
