1. MHA 690 Health Care Capstone
Instructor: Hwang-Ji Lu
By
Beronica Woodson

2. Confidentiality in Healthcare
Healthcare workers have a duty to keep patient’s
information confidential.

3. AMA Code of Medical Ethics states ….
“Information disclosed to a physician during the course
of the patient-physician relationship is confidential to
the utmost degree”. (www.ama.assn.org)

4. AMA’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs states …
“The purpose of a physician’s ethical duty to maintain
patient confidentiality is to allow the patient to feel
free to make a full and frank disclosure of information
to physician with the knowledge that the physician
will protect the confidential nature of the information
disclosed”. (www.ama.assn.org)

5. Breach of Confidentiality …
is disclosing information to a third party without
the proper consent of the patient.

6. Breach of Confidentiality …
Not having the proper documentation or statement from the
patient to release medical information.
Federal and State Legislation protects patient’s information related to
 HIV test results
 Genetic Screening Information
 Mental Health Records
 Drugs and Alcohol Abuse Rehabilitation
Failure to get the appropriate release for medical records may have
serious results. Twenty-one states punish disclosure of confidential
information by revoking a physician's medical license or taking other
disciplinary action.

7. HIPPA
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
 of 1966 is a federal law about the privacy, confidentiality
and electronic security of protected health information
(also known as PHI)

8. HIPPA has two rules known as …
Privacy Rule
Applies to Protected Health Information (PHI) in any
form – written, stored electronically and spoken in
conversation.
Security Rule
Covers PHI that is electronically stored or transmitted

9. Confidential Rules, Laws
and
Regulations for Healthcare Workers
 Keep conversations on patient information to a private place so PHI cannot be overheard
 You must always ask the patient if it is okay to discuss their health information with other present
 Always protect PHI on computers by signing off when you are finished working
 Use the minimal amount of PHI in electronic communications and only to people a “need to know”
 Be sure to double check phone numbers when you’re faxing PHI or addresses when you’re mailing PHI
 Properly dispose of material containing PHI – not in public receptacles
 Don’t look up information about your family or your friends, other employees, people in the public
eye, or your own information either.
 Don’t look up patient information for research purposes without IRB approval
 Don’t share passwords or personal access codes that would permit access to confidential patient
information.

10. References
American Medical Association. 2012. “Patient Confidentiality”. www.ama.assn.org