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Trouble shooting a HIPPA scenerio in health care

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Read the following scenario.

You have registered as a patient at the Norwalk Walk-In Clinic. You observe the following.
The registration sheet, which you signed, lists all of the names of the people who have registered that day. It is left on the counter of the registration table. Once you have signed in, you are immediately asked to sit down, with no other paperwork presented. As you are sitting there, a public relations staff member takes a photo of the clinic area.
When the physician is ready to see you, your name is called out. After the nurse takes your vital signs, she writes it down in your medical chart. The chart is reviewed by the physician. The physician in your case is not an employee of the walk-in clinic.
The physician recommends that you see a specialist at Norwalk Hospital. The physician talks to the specialist about your condition over the phone. Your file is transcribed and sent to the director of medical records. The treatment that you received at the clinic is recorded in your file and this information is sent to your insurance company for billing.
You are sent a bill and you fail to pay it timely. A collection agency contracted by the hospital sends you a notice, which has all of the information about your clinic visit and various charges.

Identify and discuss all of the HIPAA violations. Also point out situations that do not represent HIPAA violations. For those situations in which you believe a violation has taken place, make a recommendation to correct them.

Note: please cite all sources and references

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Solution Summary

Federal policies and the process for handling patient charts and confidential information is discussed.

Solution Preview

Upon entering the clinic, in the initial conversation, a pamphlet or document with how the clinic abides to the HIPPA regulations should have been provided, including your rights and responsibilities, as a patient. Additionally, a consent form, where you sign and indicate receipt of the said policies was missing in the scenario.

Next, signing your name on a sign-in sheet exposes your identity but fails to necessarily offer details about your confidential information.

When the doctor recorded your information, the transfer of your personal information to other sources could be a violation of your rights. It is not clearly revealed how they are storing and sending on your information.

"HIPAA mandated the adoption of
standards for electronically conducting
certain health care administrative
transactions between certain entities.
Through subtitle F of title II of HIPAA,
the Congress added to title XI of the
Social Security Act (the Act) a new Part
C, entitled ''Administrative
Simplification.'' Part C of title XI of the
Act now consists of sections 1171
through 1180. These sections define
various terms and impose several
requirements on HHS, health plans,
health care clearinghouses, and certain
health care providers concerning the
electronic transmission of health
Information."

If your bill was not paid, there is nothing in the HIPPA rules that disallow sending on your name and details about billing to outside sources. There is no clear indication whether or not your records ...

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