HIPAA/HITECH Discussion

Instructions: Select one of the issues listed below, research online and in texts. Make a decision and post response to the HIPAA discussion Post. **Include 2 references (one may be your text**

1.Scenario: Ted is employed as a custodial worker by Tidy Team, a company that contracts with Mercy Hospital to provide janitorial services. Ted has been assigned to Mercy Hospital. As part of his duties, he routinely cleans the floors and empties the trash in the HIM department. What is Tidy Team’s relationship with Mercy Hospital? What is Ted’s relationship with Mercy Hospital? Is there a business associate relationship here?

2. A patient has filed a privacy complaint with the physician office where you work. She says that her ex-husband’s wife who works there, told her ex-husband that she was being treated for depression. Now he has taken her to court to challenge her custody of their children. How would you investigate this? If you found evidence that the ex-husbands ex-wife to violate the privacy of the patient, what would you do? If you found no evidence of wrong doing what would you do?

3.Sarah found herself facing a tough situation. Her babysitter called and cancelled 10 minutes before she needed to leave for work. She had a meeting with her manager that she could not miss. She brought her 10-year old daughter, Olivia to work. Sarah sat Olivia down in front of her computer in her office, telling her to play solitaire and surf the Internet until she returned. After the meeting, they went home. Three days later, the privacy officer confronted Sarah about her access of patient information. Several patients had received phone calls telling them that they had a sexually transmitted disease (STD). The patients had all panicked.

Sarah was the only user who had access to all of the patient accounts. She denied the accusation but then realized that her daughter, Olivia had access to her computer. She relayed the story to her privacy officer. As the privacy officer, what actions should be taken? What could have been done to prevent this situation from happening?

4. John was having abdominal pains and went to the emergency room. When asked his name, he gave them his brother’s name, Robert, because Robert had insurance and John did not. John’s family was in on the conspiracy, but they accidentally called him John in front of the nurse, Marge.

5. Marge quizzed the family and they admitted the switch in identity, but they begged Marge not to tell. They even offered her $500 to keep silent. What should Marge do? As privacy officer, how do you train employees dealing with medical identity theft?

HIPAA/HITECH Discussion

Instructions: Select one of the issues listed below, research online and in texts. Make a decision and post response to the HIPAA discussion Post. **Include 2 references (one may be your text**

1.Scenario: Ted is employed as a custodial worker by Tidy Team, a company that contracts with Mercy Hospital to provide janitorial services. Ted has been assigned to Mercy Hospital. As part of his duties, he routinely cleans the floors and empties the trash in the HIM department. What is Tidy Team’s relationship with Mercy Hospital? What is Ted’s relationship with Mercy Hospital? Is there a business associate relationship here?

2. A patient has filed a privacy complaint with the physician office where you work. She says that her ex-husband’s wife who works there, told her ex-husband that she was being treated for depression. Now he has taken her to court to challenge her custody of their children. How would you investigate this? If you found evidence that the ex-husbands ex-wife to violate the privacy of the patient, what would you do? If you found no evidence of wrong doing what would you do?

3.Sarah found herself facing a tough situation. Her babysitter called and cancelled 10 minutes before she needed to leave for work. She had a meeting with her manager that she could not miss. She brought her 10-year old daughter, Olivia to work. Sarah sat Olivia down in front of her computer in her office, telling her to play solitaire and surf the Internet until she returned. After the meeting, they went home. Three days later, the privacy officer confronted Sarah about her access of patient information. Several patients had received phone calls telling them that they had a sexually transmitted disease (STD). The patients had all panicked.

Sarah was the only user who had access to all of the patient accounts. She denied the accusation but then realized that her daughter, Olivia had access to her computer. She relayed the story to her privacy officer. As the privacy officer, what actions should be taken? What could have been done to prevent this situation from happening?

4. John was having abdominal pains and went to the emergency room. When asked his name, he gave them his brother’s name, Robert, because Robert had insurance and John did not. John’s family was in on the conspiracy, but they accidentally called him John in front of the nurse, Marge.

5. Marge quizzed the family and they admitted the switch in identity, but they begged Marge not to tell. They even offered her $500 to keep silent. What should Marge do? As privacy officer, how do you train employees dealing with medical identity theft?