Health IT

Application: Standards, Privacy and Security

To complete this Application Assignment, write a 2-3 page paper that addresses all of the following:

• Explain why health IT privacy and security standards are important.
• What individual and/or groups are accountable for maintaining patient privacy? Who is responsible for health system security?
• What are two important considerations when assessing the security of a health IT system?
• What government regulations guide those decisions?
• Name and describe two safeguards utilized for system security.

Your written assignments must follow APA guidelines.  Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources as appropriate.

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Readings

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Reassessing your security practices in a health IT environment: A guide for small health care practices. [Part of the Health IT Privacy and Security Toolkit.]The Health IT Privacy and Security Toolkit was developed by the Department of Health and Human Services and is considered federal government information and is in the public domain. Provided by http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/special/healthit/.Read pp. 6–9, "Securing Electronic Health Information in Your Health IT Environment."
• American Hospital Association. (2003). The patient care partnership. Retrieved from http://www.aha.org/content/00-10/pcp_english_030730.pdf

Websites

• Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. (n.d.). Why Do We Need Interoperability Standards? Retrieved from: http://www.himss.org/library/interoperability-standards/why-do-we-need-standards?navItemNumber=17493
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Interoperability vs Health Information Exchange: Setting the Record Straight. Retrieved from: http://www.healthit.gov/buzz-blog/meaningful-use/interoperability-health-information-exchange-setting-record-straight/
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Standards & Interoperability. Retrieved from: http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/ehr-interoperability
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Health Information Privacy, Guidance Materials for Consumers. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. (2013). HIPAA Administrative Simplification (pp.10-115). Read the Notice of Privacy Practices section, pages 101-103.

Optional Resources

Readings

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010, June 22). Fact Sheet: The Affordable Care Act's New Patient Bill of Rights. Retrieved from http://cuellar.house.gov/uploadedfiles/new_patients_bill_of_rights_fact_sheet_final.pdf