SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION:
Declan has just started a job as a nursing assistant in a radiology department at Woodland Hospital. He has also started a program to become a registered nurse.
Before taking this career path, Declan was vaguely familiar with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). He now knows that he must help ensure the security of his patients’ Protected Health Information (PHI). Therefore, he is thinking carefully about privacy issues.
On the morning of his first day, Declan noticed that the newly hired receptionist handed each patient a HIPAA privacy notice. He wondered if it was necessary to give these privacy notices to returning patients, and if the radiology department could reduce paper waste through a system of one-time distribution.
He was also curious about the hospital’s use of a billing company. He Questioned whether the hospital was doing all it could to protect the privacy of its patients if the billing company had details about patients’ care.
On his first day Declan became familiar with all areas of the hospital’s large radiology department. As he was organizing equipment left in the halfway, he overheard a conversation between two hospital administrators. He was surprised to hear that a portable hard drive containing non-encrypted patient information was missing. The administrators expressed relief that the hospital would be able to avoid liability. Declan was surprised, and wondered whether the hospital had plans to properly report what had happened.
Despite Declan’s concern about this issue, he was amazed by the hospital’s effort to integrate Electronic Health Records (EHRs) into the everyday care of patients. He thought about the potential for streamlining care even more if they were accessible to all medical facilities nationwide.
Declan had many positive interactions with patients. At the end of his first day, he spoke to one patient, John, whose father had just been diagnosed with a degenerative muscular disease. John was about to get blood work done, and he feared that the blood work could reveal a genetic predisposition to the disease that could affect his ability to obtain insurance coverage. Declan told John that he did not think that was possible, but the patient was wheeled away before he could explain why. John plans to ask a colleague about this.
In one month, Declan has a paper due for one his classes on a health topic of his choice. By then, he will have had many interactions with patients he can use as examples. He will be pleased to give credit to John by name for inspiring him to think more carefully about genetic testing.
Although Declan’s day ended with many Questions, he was pleased about his new position.
How can the radiology department address Declan’s concern about paper waste and still comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)?
Which entity within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the primary enforcer of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) “Privacy Rule”?
Which of the following is NOT one of three broad categories of products offered by data brokers, as identified by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION
Noah is trying to get a new job involving the management of money. He has a poor personal credit rating, but he has made better financial decisions in the past two years.
One potential employer, Arnie’s Emporium, recently called to tell Noah he did not get a position. As part of the application process, Noah signed a consent form allowing the employer to request his credit report from a consumer reporting agency (CRA). Noah thinks that the report hurt his chances, but believes that he may not ever know whether it was his credit that cost him the job. However, Noah is somewhat relieved that he was not offered this particular position. He noticed that the store where he interviewed was extremely disorganized. He imagines that his credit report could still
be sitting in the office, unsecured.
Two days ago, Noah got another interview for a position at Sam’s Market. The interviewer told Noah that his credit report would be a factor in the hiring decision. Noah was surprised because he had not seen anything on paper about this when he applied.
Regardless, the effect of Noah’s credit on his employability troubles him, especially since he has tried so hard to improve it. Noah made his worst financial decisions fifteen years ago, and they led to bankruptcy. These were decisions he made as a young man, and most of his debt at the time consisted of student loans, credit card debt, and a few unpaid bills – all of which Noah is still working to pay off. He often laments that decisions he made fifteen years ago are still affecting him today.
In addition, Noah feels that an experience investing with a large bank may have contributed to his financial troubles. In 2007, in an effort to earn money to help pay off his debt, Noah talked to a customer service representative at a large investment company who urged him to purchase stocks. Without understanding the risks, Noah agreed. Unfortunately, Noah lost a great deal of money.
After losing the money, Noah was a customer of another financial institution that suffered a large security breach. Noah was one of millions of customers whose personal informationwas compromised. He wonders if he may have been a victim of identity theft and whether this may have negatively affected his credit.
Noah hopes that he will soon be able to put these challenges behind him, build excellent credit, and find the perfect job.
Based on the scenario, which legislation should ease Noah’s worry about his credit report as a result of applying at Arnie’s Emporium?