Category: Human Resource Management homework help

So many legal and privacy implications are involved in using HRM technology. Describe the most important things HRM practitioners must do to protect their organizations and employees. Explain the steps you would take if your employee records were breached.

IT governance is essential to the success of modern digitized EHR-driven healthcare systems. HITECH and the ACA lay out Meaningful Use goals, particularly increasing EHR use and subsequent data collection and analysis. A digitized system using EHRs creates more interoperability between healthcare systems and providers involved in patient care. Data analysis helps track trends and establishes a healthcare system characterized by a preventative-care approach, in which patients pay for the quality of care, not for the service itself (fee-for-service).
Along with this explosion of health IT in within the past few decades have come more federal and state laws that regulate how health IT is managed (particularly HITECH, the ACA, and HIPAA). To ensure that compliance regulations are met, HIMs with expertise in HIT are needed, as well as a robust system of health IT governance to regulate HIT within organizations themselves. IT governance is a set of principles established by a healthcare organization that determines who has decision-making rights and responsibilities concerning the organization’s health IT (Shahi et al., 2014). Neumann et al. (1999), argue that technology will continue to play a critical role in healthcare, so in context of health IT governance, leaders must be forward-thinking and proactive to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape. Healthcare systems need robust health IT governance as well as a team of health information managers (HIMs) with solid expertise because there is a myriad of federal and state laws that heavily regulate health IT, particularly regarding privacy and security. There needs to be clearly laid out governance laws within the organization itself. Roles need to be clearly stated, and HIMs need to ensure that an organization is following the law and regulations.
Health IT governance and the key leaders involved play a significant role in maintaining a health organization’s compliance, both with the government and insurance companies. Federal regulations (the Conditions of Participation, or CoP) apply to healthcare organizations that see patients who are covered by Medicare and Medicaid. These regulations apply to all patients, whether they are covered by Medicare/Medicaid. One of the major conditions of the CoP is that a governing body, comprised of leadership from the organization, establishes a set of IT governance stipulations to which the organization adheres. Additionally, insurance companies want to ensure that they are paying for quality and necessary healthcare within the third-party payer framework. Healthcare providers are required to show that they are providing both quality and necessary medical care. They prove this with data and coding from their EHR systems, and the documentation of each patient encounter – all of which is managed by HIMs.
Health IT governance, the decision makers, and HIMs have a significant impact on an entire healthcare organization. HIM professionals are tasked with keeping track of all the various state and federal regulations, as well as maintaining all the electronic records for the insurance companies. They need to know what regulations apply within each specialty within an organization (like the ER or behavioral health). IT governance is the overarching framework that governs and guides this entire process. Most significantly, the entire goal is to achieve a highly-digitized healthcare system that meets the requirements of HITECH, ACA, and HIPAA privacy standards, as well as Meaningful Use initiatives – namely the use of EHRs. Solid IT governance within a healthcare organization allows it to thrive within the complex world of government laws and regulations. It also helps the organization meet the requirements of insurance companies and accrediting institutions, because it clearly lays out standard operating procedures. That, coupled with a good team of HIMs, allows the organization to maximize its efficiency from a business standpoint – providing high-level patient care, driven by EHR data and documentation and interoperability between providers, at a lower cost – all while avoiding penalties for regulation violations and the fallout from privacy breaches.  
Romans 13:1 is the most well-known verse concerning the proper Christian position towards a government. Paul writes “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Crossway, 2008b). As Christians, we are called to be good citizens who respect the law and respect the God-ordained government authority – whether they are benevolent, tyrannical, or inefficient bureaucrats. The health IT laws in place seek to create a system that improves patient care (HITECH, ACA, etc.), while also protecting their privacy and security (HIPAA). As healthcare professionals and Christians, we should strive to ensure that our organization complies with these regulations, because it reflects our submission to the government authorities and ultimately helps our patients.  
References
Shahi, M., Sadoughi, F., & Ahmadi, M. (2014). Information technology governance domains in hospitals: a case study in iran. Global Journal of Health Science, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v7n3p200
C, L. N., Blouin, A. S., Byrne, E. M., Reed, W. C., & al, e. (1999). Achieving success: assessing the role of and building a business case for technology in healthcare / Commentaries / Reply. Frontiers of Health Services Management, 15(3), 3-28. https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/achieving-success-assessing-role-building/docview/203879474/se-2
Crossway. (2008b). ESV Study Bible. Crossway.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was a defining piece of legislation, signed into law in 2010 under the Obama administration, that would transform the delivery of healthcare and the way it was paid for. Under the ACA, the following requirements would be met:
Insurance coverage for every individual
Health insurance policy standards
Matching insurance rates for all individuals, regardless of pre-existing conditions
No cancellation of policies or care limits based on chronic conditions
Individuals could remain on a parental policy until 26 years of age
Health insurance exchanges created to incite competition between payers (Shanholtzer, 2016, p.12)
ACA broadened the patient population that would be receiving government-sponsored care through Medicaid and Medicare. And because providers and facilities would expect payment for services rendered, it was important that they adhere to both federal and state policies, specifically regarding the quality of the care rendered. Several government departments have such policies in place to regulate the use of health information technology (HIT) and ensure requirements of the ACA are met. These include Health and Human Services (HHS) which regulates healthcare nationwide and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) which regulates HIT. Additionally, policies are developed with the assistance of The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), which provides evidence-based advice to policymakers.
Additional legislation came in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009, which made sweeping changes to health informatics regulation with the creation of an HIT Policy Committee and HIT Standards Committee, as well as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). All were designed to incentivize providers monetarily to increase meaningful use of electronic health records, promote electronic exchange of health information and to allow legislative bodies to ensure that clinical quality measures were being met (Bell, 2018).
With policies now requiring increased EHR use and HIT exchange, privacy laws have become increasingly important. The most notable, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which was established in 1996, would be crucial for protecting health information. Today, the communication of protected health information (PHI) occurs through digital health exchange, be it for care coordination or billing, thanks to the deployment of ACA and HITECH statutes
Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has put renewed focus on policies that govern the exchange of PHI, such as with contact tracing applications, vaccine passports or the pharmacovigilance for novel vaccines (Lievevrouw, 2022).. It is incredibly important for governing bodies to continue monitoring and amending HIT governance to accommodate the changes that seem to happen at an exponential pace when it comes to digital technology. It is also vital that consumers and patients be aware of their rights under current legislation.
The Bible gives instruction on wisdom and discernment in the first book of Kings which says “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong” (biblegateway.com, n.d.). One of my own frequent prayers is for our political leaders – that they have this God-given discernment. This wisdom is just as important for developing IT-related policy as it is for right-to-life legislation. At the heart of all policies, the well-being of people should be central to the decisions made, if it is seeking the heart of God.
References
Bell, K. (2018). Public policy and health informatics. Seminars in Oncology Nursing. 34(2), 184-187.
Lievevrouw, E., Marelli, L., Van Hoyweghen, I. (2022) The role of US policymaking in the emergence of a digital health assemblage, Science as Culture, 31(1), 72-91, DOI: 10.1080/09505431.2021.2025214Links to an external site.
Shanholtzer

 
(10) separate executive briefings
Format: The technology idea posting should include: (1) Dialogue Subject: line that describes the technology; (2) a full article, attachment or working link to an article, photo, video, or audio file; (3) short paragraph (three or four sentences) describing the technology idea; (4) citation (APA style) detailing where the article, photo, video, or audio was found. 

1# 
Henrietta has a client (Omar) who is elderly, and has legally lost his privilege to drive, due to reckless infractions while driving, which was a safety issue for others, as well as Omar himself.
In my opinion, the therapist has an obligation to protect the general public, whose safety may be at risk, when Omar is driving. In other words, the therapist should, by all means, call the authorities under the law, knowing Omar is driving illegally. The clients license is revoked, but he still is chooses to drive, and violate the law. It is quite obvious that the client is disregarding the law, in addition to creating an environment where he could seriously hurt himself, and others while driving. The physical, and mental changes caused by age, can greatly affect a persons ability to driving, and make quick decision when in danger situations. This occurrence can result in unsafe driving habits, which may end in deadly a collisions, causing harm to innocent people. In most states, seniors are required to undergo a series of test to determine their ability to still drive. Because, of the potential risk safety violation by Omar, Henrietta is not a breaching confidentiality, she is obeying the law, and saving others.
In addition, Omar is her patient, and she must decipher if Omar an actual threat, and demonstrate the imminent danger to the general public, himself by exhausting every possible resource to inform Omar of why he should not be driving. Under the law Henrietta is not breach the privacy of her client.
2#  Whether or not a therapist has a duty to notify the authorities about an impaired driver depends on several factors, such as the laws and ethical codes of their jurisdiction, the severity and immediacy of the risk, and the possible consequences of reporting or not reporting (Pederson, 2022). Therapists must protect their clients’ confidentiality unless a legal or ethical exception requires them to disclose information to a third party. Confidentiality is essential for building trust and rapport between the therapist and client and facilitating effective therapy. Therefore, therapists should only breach confidentiality if there is a clear and compelling reason to do so (Pajer, 2019). You should also consult with your professional associations, colleagues, supervisors, or legal advisors to clarify their obligations or options in such situations.
This case does not in my opinion warrant breaking the confidentiality code. If you agree what could be introduced into the situation to change your mind?

 In response to your peers, discuss strategies to avoid having your information shared on the internet. 
1# From a moral, legal, and clinical opinion, it is a very significant duty of mental health expert to keep adequate records of their patience. “ Progress note is frequently classified as listing elements of a youth treatment and keep in the patient clinical record”(Corey,2019, Page 166). I google my name, and I realize that I am trendy online. This can be very unsafe because people can get information about me. It would be very helpful for employees because they can know more about and find out where I worked.” For many decades educators and experts have turned to Doctor Reamer to discuss social morals and values”(Reamer,2018 PAGE1).
Question to generate:
Is it safe to put our information online? 
2# I goggle Johanna Rivera and I found that I’ am really famous and the Internet stores all my private information which is kind of scary. I found my space which is no longer a thing. I found Linkedin which I totally forgot I had. I also found that somebody lives under my name in a state I have never been in my life, and the only way I know it’s my identity is because it has my birthday attached. 
I really didn’t realizes how popular my name is and I didn’t find much about myself other then Post Unv. Information- 
This is the amount of people who have my name -About 11,700,000 results (0.50 seconds)  
How many people have your same name? 
Goggle Johanna Rivera 

 In response to your peers, discuss strategies to alleviate the personal conflict you may feel about maintaining confidentiality relating to legal issues. 
1#
In the role of a counselor your first priority should be the well being and safety of your client, part of that means providing a safe environment where that client can express themselves openly about everything. Confidentiality plays such a huge part in that relationship as it helps the client to trust and feel comfortable enough to share knowing that you are the only one who will hear it. In addition to that though your duty is also to protect the safety of others around the client, “Therapists are ethically and legally bound to protect others from harm.” (Corey et al., 2020). In this particular instance I feel that the client stealing from a store is causing harm to the store owner. Even though there isn’t physical harm and the client hasn’t specifically said that it will happen again I feel that there is a potential there. That being said, I think it would take some major evaluation on my part  on whether or not this is something that should be reported. The book talks about how there are instances when further conversations need to be had to investigate the situation further a risk assessment of sorts. In addition to further investigations if I would consult either coworkers or a professional association regarding it. This would not be a breach as the APIA ” code of conduct states that therapists are expected to reach out to others in the field whenever they are not clear about whether a client discussion goes beyond the protection of patient-therapist confidentiality.” (Kinney, 2023).  I would of course keep this information confidential but at the same time speak with the client further on the topic to ensure this was not something that was going to happen again. Ultimately if it were to be a pattern of behavior I think it would need to be reported as in the end it can cause harm to the client as well as far as legal consequences of their potential actions. The situation would most definitely be one to watch and pay attention to for the future. 
Question for the class; Do you feel the store owner was being harmed? Why or why not?
2# When taking on the responsibility of clients and being a counselor, confidentiality is key to maintain confidential information pertaining to the clients. Meaning that most information shared by clients is classified. This is done to ensure the protection of clients, and their emotions without the time of treatment. However, there are instances where counselor are mandated by the law to report information divulged by a client. This information exemption to confidentiality, in which information shared should be reported to the authorities, and all confidentiality is lost. This particular crime or charges that counselor are often thought to be at risk are felony related crimes. These crime include felonies, and accessory after the fact, all crimes that obstruct justice and cause bodily harm to others. When a violation or harm is committed to others, counselors are required by law to report such information including harm to the client, a child, elder, or adults who are dependents. Without reporting these crimes, this may result is further harm to innocent victims, and repeat crimes in the future. These clients implicate the intent to violate the law again. Breaking confidentiality may result in malpractice, but is also the obligation of a counselor to uphold the law, and override confidentiality, when the safety of others is at risk. As a counselor, I feel keeping certain information helps to maintain a good relationship between counselor, and client., being that trust is critical to the to the client as well as the business of the therapist. Mishandling information may lead to a breach, and mistrust of a client. But, that trust must be broken when other are being violated. 

 
Discuss how the adversarial versus partnership orientations work among students in class. Is there a sense of competition for grades? Is it possible to develop true partnerships in which your work depends on others?
Your submission should be minimum of 1 page in length. At least one reference is required.  Please be sure to cite and reference in APA.

 
Discussion #2
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Do Discussion #2 over your choice of the following two cases studies:
Option A: Case Study #3: “Searching for the ‘New Normal’: The Business Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020” (page 467) 
Be sure you have read the instructions and the grading rubric. (I won’t remind you of this again. By now you should know.)
  ***Answer the 7 questions with detail of your choice:   (Page 174, Table 6.3)

****read ARTICICLE issues facing the professional health care workforce in the United States.
Article: 
Rosenkoetter, M., Nardi, D., & Bowcutt, M. (2017). Internationally educated nurses in transition in the United States: Challenges and mediators. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 48(3), 139–144. doi: 10.3928/00220124-20170220-10
Your initial discussion response should capture the main focus of the article and provide substantive insight into the issues. You can highlight the pros and cons, offer options to address issues, or relate a professional experience. It is important to maintain professional decorum in all responses.
Your response must serve the objectives of provoking discussion and academic dialogue.
  Respond to your classmates