NURS FPX 4040 Assessment 2 Protected Health Information Phi Privacy Security and Confidentiality Best Practice

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX 4040 Managing Health Information and Technology

Prof. Name

Date

Navigating Social Media: Best Practices for Telehealth Professionals

Protected Health Information (PHI) is any information in the healthcare field that is created, stored, transmitted, or received in any form or medium and can be identified as related to a particular individual (Alder, 2023).

In telehealth services, PHI includes any data in a digital or electronic form that is shared or stored during consultations, monitoring, or communication through telehealth channels.

Privacy: The ability of people to decide over their health information. Example: Patients choosing whether to report their health problems during the teleconsultations.

Confidentiality: Interests, rights, and responsibilities for protecting shared health information against unauthorized access. Example: Limiting recordings of the telehealth sessions for authorized access only.

Security: Precautions must be taken to prevent leakage of electronic health information (Basil et al., 2022). Example: Employ secure telecommunication technologies since patients’ data can easily be breached in virtual health consultations.

Shared Accountability

Every team member is responsible for the privacy of health information (Isola & Al Khalili, 2022) by understanding the roles and following the standards. This culture creates shared responsibility in the protection of the ePHI.

Comprehensive Risk Management

People with different areas of expertise come together to notice improvement areas, agree on the best practices to follow, and ensure that measures to avoid breaches are implemented, especially in telemedicine.

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Standardized Practices

Multidisciplinary teams aligned with common practices of using, disclosing, and securing ePHI so that there is little to no confusion or potential for breach (Eastwood & Maitland-Scott, 2020).

Enhanced Training

Interdisciplinary work means that members learn about privacy regulations continually, enhancing their understanding of the technological measures and ethical obligations of everyone on the team.

Patient Trust

The group synergy strengthens secure and sensitive communication, thus making patients more confident in telehealth services and general care (Kovac, 2021).

HIPAA & HITECH

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets up federal requirements to protect PHI electronically. For telehealth services, it mandates proper protection of ePHI through effective transmission, storage, and the use of the information by healthcare organizations, health insurers, and business associates (Kovac, 2021).

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act works with HIPAA to support the implementation of secure EHRs. It increases the sanction for violating ePHI and encourages hospitals to employ safe technology (Trout et al., 2022). This law focuses on responsibilities and increases safeguards in electronic health information.

Best Practices for ePHI in Telehealth

• Data Encryption: Develop encrypted systems for all electronic transfer of patient information to avoid leakage and guarantee safe communication in telemedicine applications (Jaime et al., 2023).
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Mandate all the healthcare staff to use MFA before logging into the telehealth systems hence improving the security of the systems and patients remote confidential data (Jaime et al., 2023).
• Regular Security Audits (Jaime et al., 2023): Performs periodic check-ups on telehealth platforms to assess consequential risks, determine areas of noncompliance with the privacy laws and take corrective measures to handle problems on an urgent basis.
• Comprehensive Training Programs: Conduct continuing education on HIPAA rules, security measures, and sound practices (Jaime et al., 2023) concerning the telehealth modalities used to teach staff how to manage e-protected health information properly.

Navigating Social Media: Best Practices for Telehealth Professionals

• Kelley Morris, a nurse at Citadel, Winston-Salem, was suspended in June 2021 for making fun of patient abuse on her TikTok account. Her employer deemed this a violation of the company’s core values (Amod, 2024).
• In October 2020, Ballad Health employees in Tennessee shared a surgery photo of surgeons wearing a racing helmet, which is against organizational guidelines, but there are no discernible patient characteristics (Amod, 2024).
• The American Nurses Association (ANA) stated that a HIPAA breach could cost nurses their jobs and licenses and fines ranging from \$100 to \$50,000 (ANA, 2024).
• In a calendar year, HIPAA violation fines can be up to \$25,000 per violation category. The minimum fine is \$100 per violation (HIPAA Journal, n.d.).

Recommendations

• Clear Social Media Policies: Develop policies regarding acceptable social media communication within healthcare organizations (van der Boon et al., 2024), particularly in telehealth settings. These policies might include consent-taking, anonymity, and adhering to patients’ rights regarding privacy and information sharing.
• Staff Training and Education: Authorized training for healthcare staff to educate them about the dangers of using social networks will ensure limited social media interaction related to patient care.
• Secure Communication Platforms: Organizations providing telehealth services should employ encrypted and HIPAA-supported platforms to ensure patient confidentiality when sharing sensitive information through virtual visits (Jaime et al., 2023).
• Follow HIPAA Guidelines
• Avoid Sharing Patient Information
• Use Professional Accounts Only
• Monitor Online Content Regularly
• Respect Patient Boundaries
• Report Breaches Immediately

References

Alder, S. (2023, December 3). What is considered protected health information under HIPAA? HIPAA Journal. https://www.hipaajournal.com/what-is-considered-protected-health-information-under-hipaa/

Amod, F. (2024, August 8). Social media HIPAA violations. Paubox.com; Paubox. https://www.paubox.com/blog/social-media-hipaa-violations

ANA. (2024, March 8). Social media Do’s and Don’ts for nurses. ANA. https://www.nursingworld.org/content-hub/resources/workplace/social-media-dos-and-donts-for-nurses/

NURS FPX 4040 Assessment 2 Protected Health Information Phi Privacy Security and Confidentiality Best Practice

Basil, N., Ambe, S., Ekhator, C., & Fonkem, E. (2022). Health records database and inherent security concerns: A review of the literature. Cureus, 14(10), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.30168

Eastwood, J., & Maitland-Scott, I. (2020). Patient privacy and integrated care: The multidisciplinary health care team. International Journal of Integrated Care, 20(4). https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.5591

HIPAA Journal. (n.d.). What are the penalties for HIPAA violations? HIPAA Journal. https://www.hipaajournal.com/what-are-the-penalties-for-hipaa-violations-7096/

Isola, S., & Al Khalili, Y. (2022). Protected Health Information. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31985924/

Jaime, F. J., Muñoz, A., Rodríguez-Gómez, F., & Jerez-Calero, A. (2023). Strengthening privacy and data security in biomedical microelectromechanical systems by IoT communication security and protection in smart healthcare. Sensors, 23(21), 8944. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23218944

Kovac, M. (2021). HIPAA and telehealth: Protecting health information in a digital world. Journal of Intellectual Freedom & Privacy, 6(2), 6–9. https://doi.org/10.5860/jifp.v6i2.7556

Trout, K. E., Chen, L.-W., Wilson, F. A., Tak, H. J., & Palm, D. (2022). The impact of meaningful use and electronic health records on hospital patient safety. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12525. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912525

NURS FPX 4040 Assessment 2 Protected Health Information Phi Privacy Security and Confidentiality Best Practice

van der Boon, R. M. A., Camm, A. J., Aguiar, C., Biasin, E., Breithardt, G., Bueno, H., Drossart, I., Hoppe, N., Kamenjasevic, E., Ladeiras-Lopes, R., McGreavy, P., Lanzer, P., Vidal-Perez, R., & Bruining, N. (2024). Risks and benefits of sharing patient information on social media: A digital dilemma. European Heart Journal – Digital Health, 5(3), 199–207. https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjdh/ztae009