Preparation
You already are familiar with HIPAA but you may want to conduct independent research to enhance your knowledge. Consult the Health Care Administration Undergraduate Library Research Guide Links to an external site. for additional guidance on how to conduct research using credible sources.
Continue your role of an early careerist in risk management and quality improvement at one of Vila Health’s community-based hospitals. You are working on a team-based initiative under the supervision of the Vila Health chief compliance officer. Your role is to assist in addressing a specific compliance risk regarding a breach of privacy and potential HIPAA violation. A Vila Health employee has disclosed—without prior written authorization—a patient’s protected personal health information.
Here is the information the team has collected to date about the privacy breach and potential HIPAA violation:
A Vila Health supervisor instructed an employee to obtain pre-authorization for an upcoming surgical procedure for a patient.
The Vila Health employee submitted confidential, protected health care information about the patient to the insurance company.
The Member Services Representative at the insurance company contacted the Vila Health supervisor.
The insurance company representative indicated that it cannot discuss the matter without prior written consent from the patient.
As part of the team exploring the privacy breach, you must prepare a workplace brief with authoritative, evidence-based references to support your work.
Instructions
For this assignment, you will create a workplace brief rather than a scholarly paper. Use the Compliance Program Implementation and Ethical Decision-Making Template [DOC] Download Compliance Program Implementation and Ethical Decision-Making Template [DOC] to write your brief.
Be sure to address all of the following in your brief.
Background
A short paragraph of no more than five or six sentences describing the known details about the privacy breach/HIPAA violation.
Problem Summary: Privacy Breach/HIPAA Violation
Summarize the relevant health care compliance concepts that apply to this privacy breach/HIPAA violation. Be sure to consider the following:
Federal, state, and local laws and associated regulations.
Disclosure.
Human resource concepts and laws.
Industry and accrediting body standards.
Privacy Breach Consequences
Provide a synopsis of the consequences for an individual leader, other internal health care organization stakeholders, and the health care organization for failing to take immediate actions to address a privacy breach. At a minimum, be sure to consider all of the following in your synopsis:
Patient safety.
Financial losses.
Employment status.
Individual and organizational violations of the law.
Legal consequences.
Civil liability.
Evidence-Based Recommendations
Construct evidence-based recommendations to resolve the HIPAA-related privacy breach. You also may want to include relevant information related to:
Human resource laws.
Professional codes of ethical conduct or standards.
Previous case precedents.
Current alleged health care legal violations.
Tip: Visit the Health Information Privacy Links to an external site. website from the weekly readings and explore the links on the site.
Ethical Decision-Making Framework for Health Care Leaders
Describe steps in a health care industry-approved ethical decision-making framework as one of your concluding recommendations.
Conclusion
Write a paragraph that summarizes the following:
Key concepts.
The importance of compliance.
Best practices to monitor for future quality improvements.
Short list of resources.