Assignment: Privacy and Security of Health Records

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) demands that all patients are able to retrieve their medical records, amend inaccuracies or exclusions, and be informed on how their protected health information (PHI) is shared with third parties. HIPAA provisions have led to a widespread overhauling in electronic medical records. HIPAA laws and regulations are divided into the following five rules.

1. HIPAA Privacy Rule
2. HIPAA Security Rule
3. Transactions and Code Sets Rule
4. The Unique Identifiers Rule
5. Enforcement Rule

After reading the required chapter "Privacy and Security of Health Records," complete and submit the following in an APA-formatted scholarly essay.

Begin your essay with an introduction explaining the purpose of the essay. Explain the five rules of HIPAA laws and regulations.

Identify HIPAA transactions, code sets, and uniform identifiers.

Describe HIPAA security requirements and safeguards.

Discuss the importance of contingency plans.

Describe the proper protocol for handling the following scenario under the HIPAA guidelines:

Scenario: A clinician enters orders and requests labs in an electronic patient record, and then leaves the computer without logging off properly. You are working in the area and notice that the computer is on, but you assume someone is coming back in a minute. Meanwhile, a patient wandering the hallway notices that the computer is on and reviews her friend's patient record. Who is responsible for the patient's lost privacy? What corrective measures should be taken to ensure the breach of PHI does not happen again?

Your essay must be at least two pages in length, and you must use at least two academic sources, one of which may be your textbook. At least one source must come from the CSU Online Library. Any information from these sources must be cited and referenced in APA style, and your paper must be formatted in accordance to APA guidelines.