Support our online development, and advance our onground research initiatives in free market economics, as we seek to showcase the brightest Next-Gen minds.
THE ME-P DISCLAIMER: Posts, comments and opinions do not necessarily represent iMBA, Inc., but become our property after submission. Copyright © 2006 to-date. iMBA, Inc allows colleges, universities, medical and financial professionals and related clinics, hospitals and non-profit healthcare organizations to distribute our proprietary essays, photos, videos, audios and other documents; etc. However, please review copyright and usage information for each individual asset before submission to us, and/or placement on your publication or web site. Attestation references, citations and/or back-links are required. All other assets are property of the individual copyright holder.
Understanding New-Wave Patient Privacy Risks
[By Staff Reporters]
Many people are blogging these days, including physicians. Some say the rapidly expanding medium provides a great opportunity for doctors to better educate patients and the public about the practice of medicine.
Warning
But, others warn that medical or just personal opinion blogging, also presents new risks of breaching patient privacy. As blogs proliferate, some hospital privacy officers are considering policies that would provide professional standards for employees engaged in the activity, and protect their institutions from potential violations of HIPAA.
Ohio State Advice
In a recent Report on Patient Privacy [9/22/08], Julie Chicoine, compliance director at The Ohio State University Medical Center, offers the following pointers for physicians:
-
Be careful. “You should … write as if your patients, co-workers, colleagues, etc. are going to read your posting every day, and know that it came from you.
-
Focus on education and general medical principles. Avoid information that is too specific and situations that are likely to be identified by others in your local community.
-
Ask your malpractice carrier if they have issues with this topic.
-
Never post in the heat of passion. No matter what the circumstances, allow yourself a cooling-off period before logging on and sharing your concerns.
-
Blogs are not the appropriate forum for medical mistakes or hospital errors. Pursue those concerns through the appropriate administrative channels within the hospital.
-
Include a disclaimer that posts are not medical advice.
Conclusion
Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.
Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com
OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:
- PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
- HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
- CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
- ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
- FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
- INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
- Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
- Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
- Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care
Share this:
Filed under: Health Law & Policy, Information Technology, Op-Editorials, Risk Management | Tagged: blogs | 4 Comments »
The Leading Business Education Network for Doctors, Financial Advisors and Health Industry Consultants 