Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:The Culture of Health Care
Unit:Privacy, Confidentiality, and Security
Lecture:Tools for protecting privacy and confidentiality
Slide content:Flow of Information in Health Care: Many Points to Leak 9.2 Chart. Flow of information in health care (Rindfleisch, 1997). 5
Slide notes:As anyone who works in a health care setting knows, there are many points where information can leak out of the system. This figure, adapted from Rindfleisch [ rihnd -flahysh ], shows how information flows through the health care provider organization. Information is first generated in the provision of patient care by health care providers, clinics, and hospitals. It then flows to health care support activity, such as payers of health care, the insurance companies that reimburse, quality reviews that measure the quality of care delivered, and other types of administration. There are also what Rindfleisch describes as social uses of information, everything from insurance eligibility to reporting to public health authorities and to using data in medical research. Fortunately, use of health information is now regulated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). There are also commercial uses of information, such as for marketing, participating in managed care organizations that may use data for various purposes to try to improve the quality or efficiency of the care they deliver, and the monitoring of drug usage. Another leakage point revolves around patients and their families as they engage in the care process. 5