Security Privacy
In health care, the protection of confidential patient information is an important key in to addressing critical issues and safeguarding the privacy of the individual. To provide more guidance are federal guidelines such as: the Health Care Insurance Affordability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). On the surface, all facilities are supposed to have procedures in place for discarding these kinds of materials. ("Summary of HIPPA Privacy Rule," 2102)
In the case of St. John's Hospital, they have become known for establishing practices of innovation (which go above and beyond traditional safety standards). Yet, at the same time, there are no critical internal controls governing how this information is thrown away. What most executives are concentrating on: is meeting these objectives from an external stakeholder perspective.
This is creating problems inside the facility, as the custodial staff able to go through the garbage and read this information. The reason why, is HIPPA procedures require: that all hospitals must have tight security provisions in place to address these issues. The fact that St. John's is ignoring key provisions; is a sign that the facility could face possible legal and regulatory challenges from these practices. To address these problems, there will be an examination of specific actions that should be taken against the cleaning staff and IS personnel. This will be accomplished by focusing on: how to respond, the training that can be provided, the way the plan will be implemented and introducing a code of conduct. Together, these different elements will highlight how the hospital can deal with these challenges over the long-term.
How can you respond to these situations?
The lack of internal security procedures is problematic. This is because the sensitive information that patient files contain; could be used by others to receive a host of medical services (utilizing the individual's identity). This means that someone could show up at another hospital and impersonate them. Once this happens, is when they can begin receiving other services by: using their insurance to pay for these costs. Over the course of time, these kinds of issues could have a negative impact on patient perceptions of the hospital. (Torrey, 2012)
Moreover, these challenges expose he facility to large class action lawsuits surrounding the lack of security procedures. This will invite some kind of investigation from: state or federal regulators. When this takes place, the hospital and staff members will face the possibility of having to deal with these issues (when they are providing various services). This means that the overall quality will decline because of this distraction. In the future, this will force customers to go elsewhere (based on privacy concerns). This is the point that the hospital will face tremendous challenges in trying to overcome these issues and rebuild their image among stakeholders. (Torrey, 2012)
The best way to respond to these kinds of problems is to change the internal procedures at the hospital. This means having an independent consultant come in and explain how these kinds of challenges will impact the facility. To do this, there needs to be an emphasis on discussing (with the IS department) the seriousness of these issues. The way that this can be achieved is to have a number of meetings and workshops with staff members. During these events, is when everyone will be made aware of the different regulations surrounding: patient privacy and the need to safeguard confidential information. (Johnston, 2012)
While this occurring, consultants will create new internal procedures for discarding this type of data. The way that this will occur, is to have everyone shred the various documents prior to throwing them away. To achieve these objectives, a series of surveillance systems will be placed inside the various departments (overlooking the trash bins). Anyone who is seen digging through the garbage will be immediately questioned about their actions. If they cannot provide some kind of logical explanation, the police will be notified and criminal charges will be pursed. These areas are important, because the hospital must let everyone know that anyone who is violating these practices will be held accountable. In future, this will make it difficult for IS staff members to ignore these provisions. (Johnston, 2012)
In the case of custodial staff, they should be immediately notified that they are not to be digging through the trash. At which point, consultants will let them know what will happen in the event that they are in violation of these provisions (most notably: termination and criminal prosecution). Anyone who is observed violating these standards will automatically...
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