Ethical Standards

Week 3 – Discussion 1 Ethical Standards

Option A: Imagine you are a health information manager in a hospital setting. Your facility has purchased an electronic health record (EHR) system. During the testing period, you and your staff discover that the EHR system does not comply with applicable federal policy and security standards. Pressure is mounting to deploy the system in the near future. (Case Study, p. 105)This discussion has two options. Please choose either Option A or Option B to respond to. Be sure you indicate within your post which option you chose.

How should you proceed? What ethical issues should you consider in making your decision? Using the steps in the ethical decision-making process as your framework, describe the multiple influences on your decision and discuss the steps you will take to resolve this issue.

Option B: As noted in Chapter 5 of your textbook, “Understanding what constitutes ethics requires learning about various models, concepts, and theories. This understanding assists the learner to identify ethical challenges and determine how to resolve the dilemmas posted in varying situations” (McWay, 2010).
Provide an overview of the chief ethical standards and concepts (i.e., autonomy, justice, etc.). Why are these concepts important in health care? What role do they play in health information management, specifically? Define and describe the two categories of ethical theories. How do these principles collectively help us to deal with ethical dilemmas?

Guided Response (for Option A and Option B): Review several of your classmates’ posts. Provide a substantive response to at least two of your peers, one who selected Option A and one who selected Option B. Discuss the ways in which you and your peers differ in your approach to ethical challenges and dilemmas. What is their rationale for the impact of ethical concepts and theories on the ethical decision making process? Do you agree or disagree with their analysis? Why?

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

SOLUTION

As healthcare information managers, we are constantly presented with challenges and opportunities to improve the quality and efficacy of patient care. In the case of our hospital’s recently purchased electronic health record (EHR) system, we are confronted with the issue of ensuring that the system is compliant with applicable federal policy and security standards before it is deployed. In this essay, I will analyze the potential impact of deploying a non-compliant EHR system, examine strategies for ensuring compliance with federal policy and security standards,

The potential impact of deploying a non-compliant EHR system is an important issue to consider for healthcare organizations. In a study conducted by M Sun, T Oliwa, ME Peek, and EL Tung in Health Affairs in 2022, the researchers analyzed the impact of a non-compliant EHR system from both clinical and financial perspectives. The results indicated that there could be a significant risk of non-compliance with current regulations. Furthermore, the researchers suggested that healthcare organizations should carefully consider the implications of deploying a non-compliant EHR system. They concluded that, although the cost savings associated with deploying a non-compliant EHR system may initially appear attractive, the long-term effects of non-compliance could be costly. The study found that healthcare organizations may be subject to substantial financial penalties, reputational damage, and potential litigation if they fail to meet regulations. Additionally, the study suggested that healthcare organizations should consider the potential impact of a non-compliant EHR system on patient safety and quality of care. It is clear that deploying a non-compliant EHR system could have significant consequences for healthcare organizations and should be carefully considered before making any decisions.

Ensuring compliance with federal policy and security standards is a critical component of any organization’s security posture. As outlined in Goel and Chengalur-Smith’s 2010 research, organizations must develop strategies to keep up-to-date with security regulations and monitor their compliance. Developing and maintaining a comprehensive security policy is the first step to ensuring compliance. A security policy should include guidelines covering the secure handling of data, guidelines for user access, and procedures for addressing security incidents. Organizations should also develop a system of internal checks and balances to ensure that all personnel and systems adhere to the security policy. Additionally, a risk assessment should be conducted to identify potential vulnerabilities and areas of non-compliance, and a remediation plan should be designed to address any identified risks. Regular auditing and reporting should also be conducted to monitor compliance with the policy. By developing and implementing a comprehensive security strategy, organizations can ensure compliance with federal policy and security standards.

The electronic health record (EHR) system has been widely adopted to improve patient safety and data security. However, the implementation of the EHR system without compromising patient safety and data security is a challenging task. According to Meeks et al. (2014), the implementation of the EHR system should be done in a systematic way, taking into consideration the legal, ethical and technical issues associated with the system. The authors suggest that the implementation process should be done in a way that ensures the protection of the patient’s privacy and confidentiality. The authors also state that the implementation of the EHR system should be done with the help of a multidisciplinary team that includes clinicians, IT professionals, and legal and ethical experts. The team should also be aware of the risks associated with the system to ensure that patient safety and data security are not compromised. Additionally, the authors state that the implementation process should involve periodic monitoring and maintenance of the system to ensure that any security issues are addressed in a timely manner. Therefore, it is important to develop a systematic approach to the implementation of the EHR system to ensure patient safety and data security.

In conclusion, as a health information manager in a hospital setting, it is important to consider the compliance with federal policy and security standards when introducing a new EHR system. The health and safety of the patients and staff of a facility should always be of utmost importance, and this compliance must be taken seriously when a new system is being implemented. As such, either more time should be spent ensuring that the system meets all federal requirements or an alternate system should be considered that does meet all the necessary compliance standards.

Work Cited

S Goel., ISN Chengalur-Smith.”Metrics for characterizing the form of security policies.”https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963868710000521

EL Tung.”… Descriptors: Documenting Racial Bias In The Electronic Health Record: Study examines racial bias in the patient descriptors used in the electronic health record..”https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/abs/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01423

DF Sittig., H Singh.”Exploring the sociotechnical intersection of patient safety and electronic health record implementation.”https://academic.oup.com/jamia/article-abstract/21/e1/e28/792224

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Ethical Standards

Week 3 – Discussion 1 Ethical Standards

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