Medical privacy or healthcare privacy is the practice of keeping the confidential and secure privacy of patient records at all times. It entails both the protection of patient records and the conversational privacy of healthcare professionals. In order to protect patient records privacy, healthcare professionals must exercise proper, ethical, and legal restraint when collecting personally-identifiable information about patients. Healthcare professionals are not allowed to release sensitive personal information about patients without patients’ written consent. Healthcare workers also have a responsibility to remain completely honest in their work and treat patients with fairness. Patients also have a responsibility to report any instances of abuse, neglect, or malpractice of healthcare professionals to their licensed professionals or to law enforcement.
There are many laws in the United States that have implemented higher standards for the protection of privacy in healthcare settings. Some of these laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, have been implemented to prohibit certain types of unauthorized disclosure of healthcare records, while others are intended to strengthen confidentiality of healthcare information. For example, the Privacy and Care Information Act encourage health care providers to use encryption systems to protect the confidentiality of patients’ health records. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act also require that providers provide notice of privacy policies to patients and make available copies of such policies at the time of a HIPAA compliance action.
According to some legal and ethical experts, the use of encryption software to protect health information from unauthorized access makes it difficult to distinguish between informational privacy and confidentiality. They argue that even if health information is encrypted, a patient may not necessarily understand how the system works or what the implications of not authorizing certain types of disclosures are. Medical privacy and confidentiality should be distinguished from informational privacy, according to these experts. Informational privacy, they argue, is about the expectation of patients about the accuracy, trustworthiness, and honesty of healthcare providers.
Medical privacy and confidentiality should not be confused with patient confidentiality, according to health care ethics professionals. Patients have a right to determine the extent to which they want their healthcare information shared with others. They can decide whether or not they want to disclose information associated with their health. They can also refuse to disclose such information, under certain circumstances. However, refusal to share information can have serious consequences. A patient who discloses confidential medical information can be held liable for civil and criminal negligence in the workplace and/or for healthcare fraud.
Medical privacy and confidentiality are also related to the legal framework surrounding the physician-patient relationship. In order for patients to have effective control over their health information, it is important that they have confidence in their health care provider. Legal protection of medical information also ensures that doctors are held accountable when patients suffer from harmful medical consequences. Medical records should always be protected from unauthorized disclosures. This can only be achieved through effective HIPAA practices.
Medical privacy and confidentiality are linked to the legal framework surrounding the physician-patient relationship. Privacy and confidentiality laws in the medical context are designed to ensure that patients receive care with respect to their rights and do so without unnecessary manipulation. The law goes beyond just protecting individual privacy by placing ethical guidelines in the medical context. For example, it is important to protect patient information from the use of paid advertising and other direct marketing efforts. Under the federal HIPAA laws, a business must take reasonable steps to protect the privacy of a patient’s healthcare information.
HIPAA also places limitations on how healthcare organizations can use electronic patient records for their own marketing purposes. It was developed to eliminate the possibility of medical identity theft. The limitations of this law were put in place to ensure that personal information is not misused. As medical technology advances and becomes more complex, healthcare organizations will have greater challenges in collecting and using this highly valuable information.
As technology continues to advance, healthcare organizations will face increasing difficulties collecting and using patient healthcare information. Many areas of the medical industry have already adapted by developing privacy policies or creating electronic patient records to address these issues. As a result, privacy regulations regarding medical records are likely to continue to evolve and change. As medical practices try to improve their overall level of privacy, they may find themselves at risk of being sued and facing significant financial loss.