information relating to an individual's past, present, or future physical or mental health,
collected or generated by healthcare providers, health plans, public health authorities,
employers, or other healthcare provider organizations, is considered protected health
information (HIPAA, 2018). Examples of such data include names, Social Security
numbers, birth dates, addresses, account numbers, medical details, and decisions.
Summary of PHI Laws
The HIPAA Security Rule imposes national standards to safeguard electronic PHI
(ePHI) (Gatehouse, 2020). It mandates that covered entities implement necessary
measures to prevent unauthorized access, misuse, or disclosure of ePHI. If unprotected
PHI is compromised, covered entities are obligated under the HIPAA Breach
Notification Rule to notify the affected individuals (Heath et al., 2021). Additionally,
covered entities must notify the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and,
in certain cases, the media, as per the Rule. The HIPAA Enforcement Rule outlines the
procedures HHS must follow to investigate and penalize organizations violating HIPAA
Rules. This includes imposing sanctions for non-compliance, such as monetary fines,
corrective action plans, and potential legal actions (Moore & Frye, 2019).
Best Practices for Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality
The aforementioned regulations provide comprehensive guidelines for multidisciplinary
teams to secure the privacy of sensitive electronic health information. These standards
require that covered entities implement reasonable and essential safeguards to prevent
unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of ePHI. They also delineate procedures for
HHS to enforce legal actions against entities breaching HIPAA Rules and ensure
individuals maintain control over their PHI.
The Significance of Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial for securing sensitive electronic health
information (ePHI) as it enables diverse stakeholders to work together to ensure patient
data security and compliance with data protection and security standards. By leveraging
expertise from multiple disciplines, organizations can better understand the risks
associated with managing ePHI and devise strategies to protect it (Beckmann et al.,
2021).
For instance, an interdisciplinary team may include a privacy officer, IT personnel, legal
counsel, and a health information management professional. This team can assist a
healthcare organization in developing policies and procedures to safeguard ePHI, such
as implementing proper access controls and encryption to ensure only authorized
individuals have access to the data. Additionally, the team can aid the organization in
devising a response plan in case of a data breach (Beckmann et al., 2021).
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