The privacy and security provisions of HIPAA are complex. HIPAA allows states to

Question

The privacy and security provisions of HIPAA are complex. HIPAA allows states to establish stricter standards than those in HIPAA, but not less strict versions.

For this assignment, research two real-life examples of HIPAA violations of privacy or security laws that occurred in the U.S. since the passage of the HIPAA law (after 1996). Each violation described should be serious, and one that resulted in a fine or penalty for the individual or company involved.

You can find real-life examples of HIPAA violations in news reports, medical journals, professional health care publications, and other similar reliable factual sources

For each example violation, include the following information:

1. A complete, descriptive summary of the case:

How did the HIPAA violation occur?

What policies, if any, did the organization have in place to protect against the violation?

What was the penalty for the violation (fine, prison terms, termination of employment, etc?)

2. Finally, describe three ways in which the organization could have prevented the violations.

Requirements:

Submit your essay in a Word document. This assignment must be at least 500 words, with at least four references cited properly in APA format, and a title page (APA format).

Explanation / Answer

The two real-life examples are described below and three preventive measures for each violation are also listed:

1. A New Jersey psychologist failed to prevent disclosure of patient protected information - When patients failed to settle their bills the firm would send bills to collection firms. For at least 25 years, they have violated the protocol as the bill had information that discloses patient's health condition and diagnosis including CPT codes, dates of service etc. As an action, the State of New Jersey would suspend and revoke psychologist's license to practice. The organization doesn't seem to have a check to protect against the violation. The preventive measures that could have been taken are:

2. At the UCLA Medical center, 6 doctors and 13 employees were fired because they accessed medical records just for information and it was not required as part of their job. These employees viewed Britney Spears medical records post hear 2008 psychiatric treatment. None of the staff had a medical need to view those records. The medical center had good policies to prevent HIPAA violations. A few months ago a memo was also shared with all staff by Chief Compliance officer reminding HIPAA laws prohibit accessing medical records that one is not entitled to view. The preventive measures that could have been taken are:

.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse T
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.