Locate your nursing home’s HIPAA Privacy and Security policies and your state rules regarding medical information privacy practices and medical recording retention and respond to the following:
1. Locate a copy of your nursing facility’s HIPAA Privacy Notice. After reviewing this policy, discuss any practices that your nursing home has implemented to safeguard resident privacy. If you are not currently associated with a nursing facility, locate a HIPAA Privacy Notice from your physician or a local health care provider and discuss how you would implement practices to ensure patient privacy.
2. Locate a copy of your nursing facility’s record retention policy. If you are not associated with a nursing facility, locate a policy from another provider, or create a record retention policy based on your state’s laws. Compare your state requirements to any federal mandates. Assess which is more stringent and what are the key elements.
3. Why would mental health, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS-related health care information be held to a higher privacy standard than other types of health care?
4. Review the HIPAA Privacy website. Locate the section on fines, penalties, and sanctions. What are the possible outcomes for a HIPAA Privacy Violation (fines, sanctions, and criminal/civil findings). Please be specific.
5. Explain the following:
A. What are the elements need of the medical records in the nursing facility to assure it meets state, federal, and professional standards, or requirements?
B. What are some of the key components that will assure medical records are kept private and confidential in compliance with regulations and standards?
C. Are there any special considerations for electronic medical record storage and management vs. a paper-based medical record?
