Develop a release of patient information compliance checklist (3-4 pages) for hospital staff members to follow. Include an introduction that covers the HIPAA Privacy Rule, proper and improper use of health information, and existing controls to protect patient confidentiality and privacy.

Electronic health records and modern communication technologies have made health information increasingly accessible. As a result, maintaining privacy requires the handlers of health information to know and follow release of information (ROI) protocols closely. ROI is also critical to the quality of the continuity of care. ROI also plays a significant role in billing, reporting, and other functions related to patient care processes.

ROI procedures must clearly define privacy and confidentiality, often used interchangeably. However, they are distinctly different concepts. Privacy refers to the freedom from intrusion into an individual’s personal information. Confidentiality refers to the sharing of information with unauthorized users. Confidentiality is usually viewed as an ethical responsibility; however, privacy is more of a legal matter.

Privacy specialists believe that patient information belongs to patients, and they have a right to protect themselves from the potential impacts of having their information available to providers and other users. However, release of patient information is often needed for providing patient care and serving other purposes. HIPAA establishes the standard to protect patients’ confidential information and specifies the procedures for releasing it.

In this assessment you will continue on in your new role as a HIM analyst for Valley City Regional Hospital. You will gather information from the hospital’s risk manager about privacy issues and develop a three- to four-page compliance checklist, including an introduction, for the release of patient information for all hospital staff members to follow. You will want to make sure that your checklist specifically addresses the privacy issues the risk manager shared with you.

Demonstration of Proficiency

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 1: Describe the purposes and scope of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
  • Explain how the HIPAA Privacy Rule applies to audit violations.
• Competency 2: Integrate privacy rules and regulations into health information management processes.
  • Outline the release of information process, including procedures, used for highly sensitive data.
  • Distinguish between proper and improper use of health information.
  • Describe the process to de-identify patient information.
  • Describe controls to protect patient confidentiality and privacy.
• Competency 5: Communicate effectively in a professional and ethical manner.
  • Create a clear, well-organized, professional compliance checklist that is generally free of errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
  • Follow APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references.

Preparation

To successfully complete this second course assessment:

• View this media piece: Vila Health: Privacy.
  • As you view the media piece, keep in mind privacy requirements and the potential privacy violations presented. Based on the media piece, you will develop a compliance checklist, outlining for staff members the steps they need to take to release patient information.
• Review the risk report and SWOT analysis you completed in Assessment 1. You may have an opportunity to incorporate elements from some of your previous work into this assessment.

Instructions

In this assessment you will continue on in your new role as a HIM analyst for Valley City Regional Hospital. The director of quality assurance likes the risk report you recently prepared (Assessment 1). Now, he would like you to complete another task.

Other leaders have brought to his attention some concerns about whether hospital staff professionals are consistently complying with privacy requirements. He’d like you to gather information from the hospital’s risk manager about this issue. The Vila Health: Privacy media piece will provide information about the risk manager’s insights. Your task will be to develop a three- to four- page compliance checklist, including an introduction, for the release of patient information for all hospital staff members to follow. You will want to make sure that your checklist specifically addresses the privacy issues the risk manager shared with you.

Be sure your ROI checklist includes all of the following:

• What are the major steps hospital staff members need to follow when releasing patient information?
• How does the HIPAA Privacy Rule apply to each step in the process?
• What are the proper procedures to follow when de-identifying patient information?

Also include an introduction to your checklist. Your introduction needs to address all of the following questions:

• What is the HIPAA Privacy Rule and how does it apply to the ROI process?
• What constitutes proper and improper use of health information?
• What controls does Valley Regional Hospital have in place to protect patient confidentiality and privacy?

Note: As a best practice, consider completing the checklist first. As you write the checklist, you may discover information you want to include in your introduction.

Additional Requirements

• Length: 3- to 4-page double-spaced compliance checklist with an introduction.
• Format: Times Roman, 12-point type.
• APA: Follow APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references. Include a separate works cited page for your references.
• Writing: Create a clear, well-organized, professional compliance checklist that is generally free of errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.