a patient portal is law and ethics

by Shyanne Davis 8 min read

Legal, Practical, and Ethical Considerations for Making …

10 hours ago VULNERABLE POPULATIONS AND CURRENT PORTAL USE. A growing amount of literature documents that certain patient subgroups (such as racial/ethnic minority groups and those with lower socioeconomic status) are significantly less likely to use portals8—despite strong … >> Go To The Portal


Should online patient portals be accessible for all?

Legal, Practical, and Ethical Considerations for Making Online Patient Portals Accessible for All Largely driven by the financial incentives of the HITECH Act's Meaningful Use program as part of federal US health care reform, access to portal Web sites has rapidly expanded, allowing many patients to view their medical record information online.

What are the ethical responsibilities of Physicians and patients?

Code of Medical Ethics Opinions: Responsibilities of physicians & patients In general, physicians should not treat themselves or members of their own families. Physicians who are employed by businesses or insurance companies, or who provide their medical expertise in sports should protect the health and safety of participants.

What are the 9 principles of the physician code of ethics?

The nine principles of the physician’s code of ethics cover all aspects of the relationship with patients and colleagues. The code requires doctors to put patients’ care first, to support access to medical care for everyone, and to respect the privacy of patients and colleagues.

Are there legal and Ethical Mandates for improving portal accessibility?

We argue that there are potential legal mandates for improving portal accessibility (e.g., the Civil Rights and the Rehabilitation Acts), as well as ethical considerations to prevent the exacerbation of existing health and health care disparities.

What is the purpose of a patient portal?

A patient portal is a secure online website that gives patients convenient, 24-hour access to personal health information from anywhere with an Internet connection. Using a secure username and password, patients can view health information such as: Recent doctor visits. Discharge summaries.

What does HIPAA have to say about patient portals?

Online patient portals allow patients to view their medical records, schedule appointments, and even request refills of prescriptions, anywhere the patient has access to the Internet. Patient portals contain information that constitutes electronic protected health information (ePHI) under the HIPAA Security Rule.

What is a patient portal called?

A patient portal is a website for your personal health care. The online tool helps you to keep track of your health care provider visits, test results, billing, prescriptions, and so on. You can also e-mail your provider questions through the portal. Many providers now offer patient portals.

Are patient portals HIPAA compliant?

Patient healthcare portals help medical practices adhere to HIPAA regulations both by providing patients with easy access to their medical records and by using security measures to protect those records.

Are patient portals confidential?

Your Health Information Is Private, Secure, and Protected To make sure that your private health information is safe from unauthorized access, patient portals are hosted on a secure connection and accessed via an encrypted, password-protected logon.

Who does the 21st Century Cures Act apply to?

electronic patient health informationThe requirements of the 21st Century Cures Act only applies to electronic patient health information. If you are using paper records, it will not apply to you. There is no mandate for you to move to an EHR.

Why do patients not use patient portals?

The researchers found no demographic differences among nonusers who said that a technology hurdle, lack of internet access or no online medical record was the reason why they did not make use of a patient portal.

Who develops patient portals?

Some vendors, such as athenahealth, Epic Systems and Cerner offer patient portals as one module of a complete Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. Other vendors, such as Allscripts and Medfusion, offer patient portals that can be integrated with any EHR.

What is the difference between personal health records and patient portals?

A patient portal is a type of personal health record (PHR) that is connected to an electronic health record (EHR) system. Patient portals provide a secure website through which patients can access their clinical data.

Is Facebook portal HIPAA compliant?

Conclusion: Facebook is not HIPAA compliant because it will not sign a BAA. However, covered entities can use it—as long as they do not share any PHI.

What are your HIPAA rights?

With limited exceptions, the HIPAA Privacy Rule (the Privacy Rule) provides individuals with a legal, enforceable right to see and receive copies upon request of the information in their medical and other health records maintained by their health care providers and health plans.

Which of the following US laws gives patients access to personal medical records and the right to authorize how this information can be used or disclosed?

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) – HIPAA establishes national standards for the administration and protection of individuals' health information (e.g., medical or health records, personal health information).

What is the Patient Bill of Rights?

The Patient Bill of Rights helps ensure quality healthcare. It also protects patients and healthcare workers. They also give a way for patients to address problems with the healthcare system.

What is private health information?

This means that patients have the right to talk privately with a doctor and that only people involved with their healthcare can see their medical records.

Why is HIPAA important?

You will also learn about HIPAA, an important law that protects patient privacy. You also know that one of your responsibilities is to keep patient information private and secure. Protecting patient information is very important. If you are ever unsure about how to handle patient information, ask your supervisor.

Why is it important to have another professional oversee the ethical operation of a medical institution?

Given that doctors are busy with patient care every day, another professional is necessary to oversee the ethical operation of a medical institution.

What are the most important laws in healthcare?

HIPAA. Perhaps the most well-known medical law is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act , or HIPAA. The majority of patients understand that HIPAA protects their privacy with regard to medical treatment and records.

Why do healthcare organizations hire professionals?

Given the intricacies of healthcare law and ethics, healthcare organizations hire professionals to ensure compliance, leaving doctors more time to concentrate on treating their patients.

How can unethical practices defraud the government?

Unethical practitioners may attempt to defraud the government by referring a patient to a family member or financial partner, whereby the referring physician receives some financial reward. This sort of unethical practice could be rampant, were it not for administrators keeping it in check.

What is the relationship between a patient and a physician?

The relationship between a patient and a physician is based on trust, which gives rise to physicians’ ethical responsibility to place patients’ welfare above the physician’s own self-interest. Code of Medical Ethics Opinions: Responsibilities of physicians & patients.

Who should protect the health and safety of participants?

Physicians who are employed by businesses or insurance companies, or who provide their medical expertise in sports should protect the health and safety of participants. Code of Medical Ethics Opinions: Special issues in patient-physician relationships.