Essay on Confidentiality of Healthcare Information

The issue of confidentiality in the aspect of health information is not new.  However, in the 21^st Century, considering the advancements in our technology, the public has become conscious of the way medical records are being handled by physicians.  Gone are the days by which our family doctors kept our medical records in their filing cabinets.  In those years we know that our records are safely locked and kept in cabinets.  Now with the advancements in health care technology, health information are being collected and stored in computers with very few legal and ethical safeguards.  With the development of the Internet technology, our medical records can be instantly retrieved and accessed not only by our physicians but also by insurance companies and their staff. 

Taking into account the issues surrounding the confidentiality of information relating to health, several statutes have been passed to protect it.  One of these statutes is The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 which requires that information relating to the health of the patient may not be released except to the individual himself. (Dan Coate 2)  It may however be released to third persons provided there is a written authorization to that effect.  Written authorizations must include the name and signature of the individual, the types of individuals authorized to disclose health information and the nature of the health information to be disclosed, the name of the person to whom the information will be disclosed, the specific purpose for the disclosure, period or the duration for which the third person may obtain such information.  Health information may also be released to a third person by virtue of an oral authorization.  It must be stressed that though the records may be owned by the physician or the health care facility, the information kept therein are still private and personal as such, the individual patient who may have given his authorization also has the discretion to revoke the same. 

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One of the sites consulted for this essay is the website of American College of Healthcare Executives. It posted an article on health Information Confidentiality which emphasized the importance of confidentiality of health information and the difficulty of maintaining it in view of the advancements in technology (“Health Information Confidentiality”, 2004, p.2) .   It also stressed the exceptions to confidentiality such as when the disclosure is necessary to promote public health, protect children and spouses from abuse and comply with certain laws.

In an article by Victor S. Dorodny entitled “”Security and confidentiality of health information systems: implications for physicians” which was published in Physician Executive, the author stressed the responsibility of employees of health care organizations in maintaining privacy of patient information.  For this purpose, he suggested that every employee should have a unique identifier so that every time they log onto the information system, there will be audit trials that will enable the organization to document the access to information. 

In the article by Mark Hagland entitled “Confidence and confidentiality”, he emphasized the things that could go wrong when information about patients are kept in computers and accessed without authorization by a criminal.  He said that there was an incident in the past when a child rapist who worked at Newton-Wellesley Hospital used a former employee’s computer password to gain access to phone number of female patients to whom he made obscene calls.

In this article written by Madelyn L. Isaacs entitled “Confidentiality with minors: mental health counselors' attitudes toward breaching or preserving confidentiality” she emphasized that the issue surrounding confidentiality of health information is more complicated when the patient is a minor since it may interfere with the child’s well-being.  

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Essay on Health Leadership and Community Development

One of the major players in the health care reform debate is the pharmaceutical companies. (“Key Players Health Care Reform” 1) Based on the amount it is currently spending and the other amount it is willing to spend more just so it can have its interest can be protected it can be argued that it is having the biggest impact on health care debate. 

According to Karen Tumulty and Michael Scherer, in the first six months of 2009 alone, drug companies and their trade association have spent more than $110 million on lobbying efforts to influence the lawmakers. (Tumulty & Scherer 2)  Moreover, they have recently promised the Obama Administration they are willing to shell out $80 Billion over the next 10 years to lower the cost of medication for seniors and help pay for President Obama’s proposed healthcare reform bill. (Gaouette & Johnston 1) According to President Obama, "This is a significant breakthrough on the road to health-care reform, one that will make the difference in the lives of many older Americans." (“Obama announces drug companies deal” 1)

The White House did not reveal what the pharmaceutical companies wanted in return for their investment but critics are up in arms on this deal.  (William Greider 1)  Some say that the sweetheart deal is a blatant violation of the principles of democracy.  Some are arguing that in the end it will be the end-users or the consumers who will suffer since the government will be restricted in seeking for lower drug prices. 

In the midst of the debate on health care reform, one issue that has been left out is the issue of the right of the poor women to gain access to abortion services with the use of federal-funded insurance (Karen Tumulty 1).  In the past, the Hyde Amendment restricted the right of poor women from using Medicaid to pay for the abortion procedure.  A number of states followed the lead of the federal government but around 17 states did not ban use of state funds to cover for abortion services. 

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Whether the government-subsidized health insurance shall pay for the abortion procedure is an issue that is still unclear.  Despite the ruling by the Supreme Court in the case of Roe v. Wade declaring that the decision to undergo an abortion procedure is a privacy right, there is still no consensus on this issue.  While this debate is ongoing thousands of women who cannot afford to pay for abortion procedure are forced to go to physicians who practice this procedure clandestinely in fly-by-night clinics which often results in complications, serious injuries and even death.

Because of the importance of insurance coverage for poor women who want to undergo abortion procedure, I will lobby for its inclusion.  The first step will be to gather the people who share similar views as I am. This is not difficult as there are a number of pro-choice groups which share the same views as I am.  We shall gather statistics on the number of women who avail these services.  If possible, I will also get an estimate of the number of cases of pregnant women who undergo abortion procedures secretly or avail of these services from unlicensed practitioners, the number serious injuries, and even deaths resulting from these abortion procedures.  Letters will be sent to the lawmakers, informing them that thousands of women are forced to undergo abortion procedures from unlicensed practitioners because they are the only ones who provide cheap abortion procedures.  Lobbying will be an important tool in this campaign. (Dan Eggen 1)  If other companies are spending millions for lobbying, it may be possible to get a member of our organization to lobby to Congress so that our cause will be represented.

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