SOCW-2002-1: Week 7 Discussion: HIPAA Regulations
Week 7: HIPAA Regulations
Social workers must abide by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), in addition to the NASW Code of Ethics, in their work.
If you have gone to a doctor’s appointment within the last few decades, you have likely signed a HIPAA form. HIPAA protects a patient’s mental and physical health information and allows the patient access to records. Under the law, the patient can also distribute those records to other parties. As with mandated reporting, there are exceptions to HIPAA protection, such as in cases of abuse or public health threats.
In this Discussion, you examine HIPAA regulations and reflect on your own exposure to HIPAA as a patient.
To prepare:
- Review the Learning Resources on HIPAA and ethics.
- Watch the Southside Community Services video in the Learning Resources, and reflect on how HIPAA informs the interaction between the social worker and the client in the video.
- Think back on an experience as a patient in a healthcare setting where you signed a form related to HIPAA. Reflect on how your rights were conveyed to you.
Post:
- After watching the Southside Community Services video, describe a time when you signed a form related to HIPAA (e.g., at a doctor’s office).
- Identify the HIPAA regulation requiring the form.
- Explain whether or not your provider adequately informed you of your rights. Did you understand what you were signing?
Tutorial for HIPAA Regulations
$5.00