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Data is everything, and in this technologically advanced era, it is commonly referred to as the new fuel. By manipulating data, one can change opinions, inflict financial losses, bring severe mental tension, and win hearts. Data is a two-edged sword. It can be beneficial or harmful. It depends upon the sole user in which way he wants to utilize the data, whether as a boon or as a bane. Similarly, in the healthcare industry, the data of patients is very confidential and can be used against them. That's why HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) law was enforced to bring such irregularities into history. Some of the critical features of HIPAA to protect data privacy and security in the healthcare industry are: - 1- Prevention of Unauthorized Access to Medical Records What is more private than one's medical records. One should always agree that nothing is more important than health, and it is regarded as wealth. There may be when a person falls unhealthy for various reasons like food poisoning, cholera, or any bacterial infection. Then he visited the hospital, and the doctor wrote on the prescription to go for a blood test. When he sends his blood for a test, he finds out HIV also infects him. Now he is in absolute terror. His depression will even increase if somehow another person who didn't know him and was a total stranger to him also knows about his HIV. There would be dire consequences now; the person may transmit this confidential information to many other people, maybe to his friends and family as well. The carrier is also a human, and he deserves the utmost respect, but people might try to avert him only due to his disease. He may feel ostracized by society. These cases were seen earlier when HIPAA was not enforced. But nowadays, due to strict adherence to the laws, no one, either a medical professional or any other person, can dare access anyone else's medical records without his written will and approval. If someone tries to do that, authorities will reprimand him and give him the sentence applicable according to laws. 2- Unequivocal Definitions It is seen that in many laws, there are many loopholes due to which the implementation of law goes in the cold bag. But this is not the case with the health insurance portability and accountability act. All the definitions and sections are unequivocally defined and explained to a greater extent. For example, in the HIPAA Act, patient's rights are clearly defined, and they are: - The patient has a right to get a copy of his medical record both physically and electronically, and he may request a correction as well. The health insurance portability and accountability act ensure that child abuse and other records related to a person's dignity are not revealed without proper approval from the concerned party. The act also instructs hospitals and medical professionals to teach and make their employees adhere to these laws. 3- Standard Operating Procedure In any form, whether it is verbal, electronic, physical, or paper, proper standard procedures always adhere with the utmost strictness. Some of these SOPs are to protect Data privacy and security are: - When data is to be shared, then It should contain all the common identifier phrases like name, address, locality, social security number, etc. Past and present mental or health conditions of the individual. Clear mention of healthcare to the individual. All the payments, whether past, present, or future, are related to medical conditions. Keeping PHI Confidential and Private Medical professionals must make their patients aware of their rights and this act. It is always advisable to hire a person who looks after these activities to break and not follow the laws. Maintaining distance gap between the records and unauthorized people. When the Information of the Patient is Shared with Other Medical Professionals Doctors and medical professionals can share the vital information, which can be crucial for treating him without the written consent of the patient. If the patient is not in the capacity of giving the assent, then doctors can share data in the patient's best interest. HIPAA encourages medical research as well. Medical professionals can use vital data for their research to better society. Medical professionals should always use an exact method like e-mail, telephone, etc., to communicate with other medical professionals and patients if they are following the safeguards. When the Medical Records are to be Shared with Family The doctor should not hesitate to share the necessary information like the patient's condition and the payment-related data unequivocally with the family. Hospitals should maintain a health directory that gives basic information about all the patients in the hospital so that their families can get in touch with them in no time because time matters a lot in medical cases. After the patient's death, the doctor should share the patient's religious affiliation with the authorities like clergy and priest. Precautions when medical data is being handled on computer devices Sufficient precautions and care should be taken while handling confidential information on computer devices because they are prone to hacking. These standard operating procedures should always be followed to maintain the confidentiality of medical data: - Always use a password for proper authentication to access the medical records. Proper encryption and decryption patterns should be followed for data encryption. A good antivirus should be installed on the computer device to protect it from viruses. It is always recommended not to use external devices like pen drives etc. In each computer device, remote wiping or disabling features should be there to meet any contingency. App sharing software should never be used with these devices. The firewall should be engaged to avoid any unauthorized access. Internet from public Wi-Fi should not be used. Always keep all the software in the device up to date. All confidential medical records should be deleted before switching to a new device. These are some of HIPAA's salient features to maintain data security and privacy in the healthcare industry. And it has proved to be working because, since its implementation in 1996, the cases of a data breach of medical records have reduced drastically. Patients' belief in doctors and medical professionals has only solidified over time. Medical Coding Training online would help you understand these laws and their working. Source of this article is Medesun.
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