Questions And Answers On The Knowledge Of HIPAA Health, Medicine Essay

Questions And Answers On The Knowledge Of HIPAA
Student's Name
Professor's Name
Health, Medicine, Nursing
March 21, 2019
Scenario #1
You have been working at University Medical Center for five years. A few months ago, you struggled through some personal issues and abused alcohol to cope. You received treatment at a local Drug and Alcohol Inpatient Center and are in an out-patient recovery program. Your best friend, who also works with you at the Medical Center, knows about this and told your supervisor during a related discussion one day. Later that week, your supervisor told another colleague that you had a history of substance abuse and should not be left alone in the medication room.
Question 1: Did your supervisor violate HIPAA? Why or why not?
Answer: Yes, my supervisor violated HIPAA. There is a legal provision passed stating that HIPAA business associates should also comply in keeping the health conditions and treatment details of patients private and confidential. HIPAA business associates are people who do not directly handle the administrative processing of heath condition and treatment details data of the patient("HIPAA," 2019). However, HIPAA business associates are third party people who are still somehow knowledgeable of some, if not all of, the information surrounding the patients' health conditions and treatment details ("HIPAA," 2019). My supervisor is considered as an HIPAA business associate as he was aware of my previous health condition and the type of treatment I availed for such condition due to the fact that I worked in the same company as him.
Question 2: Did your co-worker violate HIPAA? Why or why not?
Yes, my co-worker also violated HIPAA. The same reasons stated above in the answer to question 1 in the same scenario apply in the answer to this question, as well.
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Scenario #2
Your neighbor, Billy, is a patient at the physician’s office where you work. He was recently in the office and treated by one of the physicians. You were not involved in Billy’s treatment or documentation, but you were interested in why he had an appointment at the office. You accessed his medical record and read his SOAP Note. You were surprised by what you read, and when you got home that night, you told another neighbor about Billy’s condition.
Question 1: Did your access of Billy’s patient record violate HIPAA? Why or why not?
Answer: No, my access of Billy's patient record did not violate HIPAA. I was not involved in Billy's treatment or documentation of his treatment. So, even though I work at the physician's office where Billy got his treatment, I am not considered as Billy's HIPAA business associate.
Question 2: Did you violate HIPAA when you told your neighbor about Billy’s visit to the physician’s office and his medical condition? Why or why not?
Answer: No, I did ...