Jsbmha and Hipaa Case Study

JSBMHA and HIPAA Case Study

HIPAA allows a patient to have control over their medical/personal records. This entails disclosure of information to any third party without the consent of the patient. It also protects the patient's privacy and places limits on who can receive information concerning the patient.

The areas of the compliance that the JSBMHA and HIPAA impacted were that the caseworker did not have a written consent to discuss the patient's case with anyone. Once the caseworker disclosed the information along with the patient's names and other parties involved, she violated the patient's right to privacy. The discussion was not professional or ethical and should have taken place in a private setting and not in an open forum where others could hear the details of the case. Furthermore, if the caseworker had any issues with the cases, it should have been discussed with her supervisor and not another caseworker. It is unclear whether or not this discussion and possible comparison to the other case could have a major outcome on the ruling.

In today's society, patient confidentiality must be taken seriously by both employer and employees, since the majority of today's information is electronically stored and managed. The JSBMHA director should issue both employees a written reprimand or possible suspension without pay. Since this is a human service organization, each employee should be aware of the various HIPAA laws and the compliance issues. The director should also enroll these employees into a HIPAA compliance law training program along with other staff members so that this situation does not take place in the future. When breach of confidentially is broken, it can have a negative effect on the reputation of the organization and its employees and could possibly lead to financial ruin of an organization.