Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:The Culture of Health Care
Unit:Ethics and Professionalism
Lecture:Ethical issues in health informatics
Slide content:Ethics and Law Interact Privacy and security rules in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) Lawsuits and case law about failure to meet minimum professional standards 6
Slide notes:Theres a back-and-forth interaction between the ethical ideals, professional standards, and legal requirements that apply to health informatics. The privacy and security rules contained in HIPAA [ hip -uh], the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, are part of a law but are also very important sources of professional standards. The law known as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH [high- tek ], widens the scope of privacy and security protections available under HIPAA and increases the potential legal liability for noncompliance. Health informatics law is outside the scope of this lecture; however, its important to remember that the law sets standards that may overlap, exceed, or even conflict with ethical duties. 6