Ethical Challenges in the Management of Health Information

Privacy of medical information is an important issue for health care managers. It has become more significant since the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Electronic storage and coding of patient records and the demands of many players for access to that information is one of the key forces that drove the HIPAA legislation, the cornerstone of which has to do with the privacy and maintenance of privacy of personal medical information. All of these events present the keepers and managers of health information with a host of ethical dilemmas with regard to the handling of the information. This new edition addresses HIPAA and contains new chapters on research, advocacy and specialty sites to include dialysis, correctional, dental, mental health, long-term care, home hospice and rehabilitation.