Case Study Review Essays - Health, Confidentiality, Secrecy, Source

Case Study Review Essays - Health, Confidentiality, Secrecy, Source Case Study Review Laura Rubio BSHS/335 March 30, 2015 Stephanie Chupein Case Study Review In case study 9, the case talks about Physician Access to Information as a Noncustodial Parent. In this case it talks about a 14-year-old boy by the name of Rajiv who was recently treated in the Emergency Department. Rajiv's mother has sole custody of him, and Dr. Singh who is his father does not have visitation rights of him. Due to circumstances of his divorce, Rajiv's mother was able to provide documentation for inclusion in his health records stating that under no circumstances would Dr. Singh would be allowed to access Rajiv's health information. Rajiv's father Dr. Singh ran into Mrs. Singh's neighbor in the grocery store, and that is when the neighbor had asked about his recovery. That is when Dr. Singh said that he was unaware of any issues concerning Rajiv's health, prompting the neighbor Mr. Smith to fill him in on the details. Mr. Smith was unaware of the custody arrangements and details of the divorce. The next morning, Dr. Singh went to the Health Information Services department requesting a copy of his son's records for review. Thanks to talking with the neighbor, Dr. Singh was able to provide a date and circumstances of his son's medical treatment to the Release of Information clerk pulled Rajiv's chart, as she was getting ready to copy the record she noticed a note prohibiting Dr. Singh from accessing Rajiv's records. Dr. Singh who knew that this clerk did not like confrontation with physicians, he simply told her that he was trying to assist Rajiv's mother in getting a copy of his records to take to a specialist that was she did not have to come and get them herself. Even after Dr. Singh telling her that the clerk, defended the confidential nature of Rajiv's records and she refused to copy the records. Dr. Singh then became loud and abrupt with the file clerk to the point that Jane, the Director of Health Information Services, came out of her office to determine what the pr oblem was. Jane reminded Dr. Singh of the confidential nature of all patient health records and the privacy and security issues presented through the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act. Dr. Singh then said that he understood and respected that regulations must be followed. About a half hour later, Dr. Singh presented to the Physician Record Assistant's desk. This is when he requested his incomplete records so that he could sign and dictate outstanding reports. He also requested for them to pull Rajiv Jones' chart for him to review. She had some difficulty locating Rajiv's chart, she went to other areas of the Health Information Services department to see if anybody else had the chart. When the Release of Information Clerk was approached about the record, she was informed the Physician Record Assistant that Dr. Singh was not allowed access to Rajiv's records. She then informed Dr. Singh that she could not give him Rajiv's chart, and if he has any questions, he should talk with Jane. Then he apologized for any inconvenience, completed his incomplete records, and then went to the nursing units to do his rounds. That is where he has developed a relationship of respect with the nurses on the unit and made another attempt at requesting his son's records while on his morning rounds. He had asked Betty, a nurse on the orthopedic unit, if she could call and have the chart sent up for him, she promptly called Health Information Services, simply stating that a physician needs the chart. That is when Betty was asked which doctor was requesting the chart and Betty said that it was Dr. Singh. She was then told that he was not able to have access to the records. That is when Betty responded by demanding that if a physician requests records, that physician's intentions should not be questioned. The Release of Information Clerk finally transferred Betty to Jane, who continued to protect the confidentiality of the records. Finally Dr. Singh went to visit the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the facility Charles to make arrangements for their weekly golfing outing. Dr. Singh reported that he was having problems getting