Essays

Directions: Please provide detailed and elaborate responses to the following questions. Your responses should include examples from the reading assignments, if possible. Your answer to each question should be at least 200 words in length and utilize APA guidelines.

1. Give two examples of acceptable redisclosures of health information. Please provide sample situations in which each of these may occur.

2. Describe one safeguard that should be in place to protect the confidentiality of health information when a health care organization uses a home-based medical transcriptionist and one safeguard that should be in place to protect the security of that health information.

3. List at least two parties, in addition to the health information management professional, who should be involved in developing a health care facility's policy on disclosure of health information to the press. Justify the inclusion of these individuals.

4. Can you ignore a subpoena or a subpoena duces tecum that is clearly defective, in that some key aspect is missing? Explain your answer.

5. Is health information always admissible as evidence in court? Explain your answer.

6. Should patients always have access to their own health information? Explain your answer.

7. List and briefly explain the four elements of negligence. Explain the significance of the order of elements.

8. Assume that in a medical malpractice trial alleging that a sponge was left in a surgical site, exactly 50% of the evidence favors the defendant surgeon and 50% favors the plaintiff. Who is likely to win the case and why?

9. Assume that at a medical malpractice trial alleging postoperative infection, exactly 50% of the evidence favors the plaintiff and 50% of the evidence favors the defendant physician and hospital. Among the defendant's evidence is some indication that the patient did not comply with postoperative care instructions, including taking antibiotics to fight infection. Who is likely to win the case and why?

10. Assume that an employee of a hospital's health information management department inappropriately released confidential information to a patient's employer. The patient is suing for breach of confidentiality. List all the parties who could be held liable for this breach and explain why you have listed them.