Protect Patients’ Privacy with Health Care Facility Cubicles
So how can medical clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, physicians’ offices and other care facilities design an environment that balances privacy, efficiency, and at-ease care? Quite simply, cubicles. HIPAA: Enhancing Staff and Patient Safety Before 1996, health information privacy was like the Wild West. There was no federal rule governing the protection of your medical info. It was an era when companies could receive details regarding employees’ health insurance. Further, patients weren’t necessarily able to obtain their own medical records. Problematic, right? Enter the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act — aka HIPAA. These laws standardize the way to handle sensitive patient information through required safeguards and privacy requirements. HIPAA’s Privacy Rule and Security Rule prevent unauthorized disclosures and stipulates when, with whom, and under what circumstances such disclosures are allowed. So, your info about mental or health conditions, prescriptions, billings and payments, and identifiable information like a Social Security number or an insurance account number, transitioned to safety under HIPAA.