Assignment:
Protecting Patient Information
Each time a patient visits a doctor; is admitted to a hospital; goes to a pharmacist; or sends a claim to a health plan, a record is made of their confidential health information. In the past, family doctors and other health care providers protected the confidentiality of those records by sealing them away in file cabinets and refusing to reveal them to anyone else. Today, the use and disclosure of this information is protected by a patchwork of state laws, thereby leaving gaps in the protection of patients' privacy and confidentiality.
Answer the following questions:
- Do confidentiality and security play a role in providing effective protection to patients' information? Why or why not? Justify your views using examples.
- How will you use these concepts to protect health information?
Justify your answers with appropriate research and reasoning by using examples and references, cite your sources (including in-text citations and references) using the APA guidelines.