HIPAA Security Compliance Essay Assignment Paper
HIPAA Security Compliance Essay Assignment Paper
HIPAA SECURITY COMPLIANCE 1
HIPAA privacy and security rules work together for purposes of governing how a health institution handles and manages the information of a patient. The privacy rules of HIPAA cover the methods which a health practitioner can use to disclose the information of a patient (Beaver and Herold, 2004). The security rules of HIPAA provide the standards to use in safeguarding and protecting information of a patient. This is while permitting an appropriate use and access of the information under consideration (Carter, 2009). This leads to the promotion of the use of electronic health care information (e-PHI). This is a major goal of the HIPAA security system. The HIPAA security rules require that there is maintenance of an appropriate and reasonable technical, administrative and physical safeguard. This is with the intention of protecting the e-PHI. It is essential for an institution to (Beaver and Herold, 2004),HIPAA Security Compliance Essay
This is a memo that gives an overview of how the hospital organization can achieve HIPAA security compliance. The following are the steps the hospital organization can follow, for purposes of achieving HIPAA compliance.HIPAA Security Compliance Essay
The first step in working towards HIPAA compliance is to carry out a risk assessment. A risk assessment helps in equipping the hospital organization with accurate information where it stands, in regard to HIPAA security compliance (Carter, 2009). This helps the institution to decide on the levels of risks that are acceptable, and the levels of risks that are not acceptable. Furthermore, risk assessments help in revealing the various steps that the hospital organization can use, in achieving compliance with HIPAA security rules or guidelines (Beaver and Herold, 2004). Most health care organizations normally think that they have carried out a health care assessment, and in reality they have not. This is because a risk assessment must comprise of a study of all devices that store, maintain, generate, and transmit e-PHI. These health care organizations normally overlook devices or tools that are not on the network of the facility (Maiwald and Sieglein, 2002). For instance, the respiratory therapy tools normally generate information of a patient, and they are not connected to the information technology network of a facility (Carter, 2009). This is because they are normally plugged in, during the process of therapy, and taken out when the process is complete. An effective risk assessment program will analyze all these components of a health care organization, and identify all the acceptable and unacceptable risks that the organization faces (Carter, 2009).HIPAA Security Compliance Essay
The second step is collaborating with the stakeholders of the health care institution. Cooperation and collaboration amongst the stakeholders of the health care organization is an important element in ensuring that the organization would build effective and efficient HIPAA security compliance strategies (Beaver and Herold, 2004). Collaboration that occurs amongst the decision makers of the health care institution is essential in ensuring that there is a lasting and successful alteration of the security and privacy policies of the organization (Keller, 2013). This is because people will have an opportunity to contribute ideas and opinions on how best to develop the HIPAA security compliance system (Carter, 2009). The contribution of these stakeholders helps in safeguarding against unrealistic or inadequate policies, especially the policies that would affect the care of a patient (Maiwald and Sieglein, 2002). The stakeholders of the health care institution have experienced different parts of a problem, and their contribution will help in getting a solution to the problem, and on how to improve the security of the system, or health care organization (Carter, 2009).HIPAA Security Compliance Essay
The third step is crafting a policy aimed at creating a solution that will make the organization to be HIPAA security compliant. These measures have to target the entire organization, and not a specific department (Maiwald and Sieglein, 2002). To achieve success, it is necessary to receive input from various departments of the hospital organization. This would help to develop a policy that serves the needs of the entire organization (Beaver and Herold, 2004). Take for instance, the lab department of the health care organization. The lab department receives very few visitors, when compared to the radiology department. When creating an HIPAA security compliance policy, it is necessary for the organization to write a policy that satisfies all their needs. For example, the organization can create a policy that, every computer screens that contain information of a patient should not be viewed by the public. This policy is applicable in a lab department, which has few visitors, but it is not applicable in a radiology department, which has many visitors (Beaver and Herold, 2004). To serve the needs of these departments, the organization can create a password system that would allow employs and patients to view their information that is stored in the organizations computer database.HIPAA Security Compliance Essay
The fourth and the fifth steps involves a review of the purchase of capital tools, in the perspective of risk management and creation of the culture of accountability (Carter, 2009). When making decisions regarding capital purchase, it is essential that the organization should consider factors such as the total cost and the purchase price of the equipments (Keller, 2013). It is also important for the organization to consider the standards of security that these equipments come with. It is important to analyze the security features of the products, and judge whether they are compatible with the HIPAA security requirements. Developing a culture of accountability helps in encouraging the members of staff to report any problems that arise out of breaches of the HIPAA security compliance regulations. This will help the organization in improving its systems, and correcting the various mistakes that arise out of a breach of the HIPAA security regulations.HIPAA Security Compliance Essay
In conclusion, by following these five procedures, the organization will manage to create an effective solution that will help it to achieve HIPAA security compliance. Through these actions, the company would avoid the various laws suits and fines that may emanate from breaching the privacy of its patients, and employees.
HIPAA Compliance
If you are in the healthcare industry, you have probably heard some rumblings about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, coolly referred to as HIPAA. The word is your medical practice will have to be HIPAA compliant by April 2003, but you’re not exactly sure what this act mandates or how to accomplish it. In very basic terms, HIPAA has two primary components to which hospitals, health plans, healthcare “clearinghouses,” and healthcare providers must conform: 1) Administrative simplification, which calls for use of the same computer language industry-wide; 2) Privacy protection, which requires healthcare providers to take reasonable measures to protect patients’ written, oral HIPAA Security Compliance Essay
Any hospital security engineer must observe the HIPAA privacy rule, which monitors the access and sharing of individual health information, as well as the HIPAA security rule, which comprises of the national security standards that safeguards the electronic health information. Since the hospital stores patient information using the paper based system, the manager will ensure that the implementation of electronic based health information systems is achieved within the shortest time possible (Keller & Associates, 2011). The paper records are always not secure and they contain massive irregularities and drawbacks towards the process of patient care and treatment. The paper based health records do not comply with the HIPAA standards, an amendment in the constitution of the United States. The HIPAA security rule guarantees physical safeguards, technical safeguards, technical policies, and network and transmission security towards the protection of patient health information (Envision, 2010). The legislation expects every hospital to safeguard the health information of a patient and uphold high standards to information privacy and confidentiality.HIPAA Security Compliance Essay
The security engineer should put emphasis on the execution of physical safeguards to the manual health records. The patient information should be secure and prevented from any unauthorized parties. The workstations and the electronic media to be implemented must be protected by policy’s safeguards the privacy of the information. The management of the hospital must allocate funds to help in the transformation from the paper-based records to electronic health records. The manual records must be converted into a digital form and this will comply with the electronic protected health information (ePHI), a requirement of the HIPAA security rule.
On the part of the technical safeguards, the main roles include the access and authorization of electronic Protected Health Information. The manager must ensure that unique user IDs protects the information to their best. He is also responsible for implementing an emergency access procedure to the electronic information to save the lives of patients under circumstances that are a threat to their lives. Other key criteria that must be developed to guarantee safe access and authorization of the patient health information is the adoption of encryption and decryption standards together with the automatic log off procedures. In the process of pinpointing the security violations, the tracking logs will assist in monitoring the activities of both the hardware and the software (Keller & Associates, 2011).HIPAA Security Compliance Essay
The compliance of the HIPAA standards can only be guaranteed if they are technical policies to conceal integrity measures that assure no form of alteration to ePHI. The security manager will be responsible for adopting the IT disaster recovery mechanisms and offsite backup that helps in the process of recovery of lost health information (Beaver & Herold, 2004). The network and transmission security must be ensured to comply with the HIPAA since it will protect patient information from unauthorized access. Every procedure of data transmission should be secure to avoid the cases of exposure of confidential information as it is against the laws. The electronic health records serve a better purpose in service delivery compared to the manual records that require a huge office space and much time to be organized. In cases of fire emergencies, paper records are the worst since they are no backups and that can be a great loss to the hospital and the patient himself (Envision, 2010).HIPAA Security Compliance Essay
The key to successful compliance with the HIPAA security rule requires a sustainable risk assessment. The security manager has an obligation to perform accurate and thorough assessment to master any potential threats that can harm the integrity and confidentiality of the information. The security engineer must analyze potential environmental threats to identify the uncertainties fails to satisfy the standards outlined in the HIPAA security rules in guiding the hospitals. The security engineer should be well informed to avoid the use of outdated risk assessment strategies that will not help in the process of compliance. Before the introduction of the electronic patient information system kicks off, the engineer is expected to develop well-documented policies aligned according to the standards of the HIPAA (Beaver & Herold, 2004). The regulation will help the hospitals to successfully implement the new systems and dispose of the manual records in a professional and acceptable way. The structure of the hospital will also be structured to avoid conflicts of interest and assure responsibilities important for complying with the HIPAA standards.HIPAA Security Compliance Essay
The transmission of paper records to electronic form requires the use of digital forms. This is where the paper based health records are scanned and captured by digital cameras and saved in the computers for storage. During the process of conversion, the digital electronic records are stored in the database of the central server. To access the patient information, the use must be authorized by the responsible persons to avoid frauds associated with access. With this is mind, the security engineer will attain the specifics of compliance with the HIPAA security measures.
As expounded above, the success of the security engineer requires efforts, hard work and determination to become a reality. The top hospital management must support the change and allocate funds that will assist the security engineer to achieve the goals of compliance with the HIPAA standards. HIPAA Security Compliance Essay
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