Question One. HIPAA rules and employees’ health records.
HIPPA rules apply to the personal file stored in the employee health office because they require the covered entities to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of medical information of their employees. Consequently, the privacy and security rules of HIPAA requires that employers must protect the confidentiality of the medical information in the personal files of the employees. The file maintained in the employee health office contains personal health information of June, and the employer must protect it from unauthorized access through the rules of HIPAA. The file can only be accessed by the human resource representative and the respective employee unless indicated otherwise by either the law or authorization from the owner of the information.
Question Two. Prohibited access to employee’s health records.
Ed would be prohibited to access the file maintained in the employee health office for several reasons. Ed lacks authority from June to obtain her medical file maintained in the health office since he has neither asked nor has he been given the authorization by June to view the file. Also, Ed may be prohibited to ensure that Kathy as a human resource representative and the organization by extension honors the HIPAA rules on privacy and security of personal health information and avoid any potential expenses that may result from the violation of these rules. The position of Ed does not guarantee him to view the medical file of June without her consent.
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Question Three. Ed’s Judgment on the reliability of June.
Ed should focus on utilizing the potential interviews and the accessible files to determine the reliability of June upon a chance of being hired. Ed may structure the interview in such a way that he will capture the relevant health details of the interviewee before hiring him. Also, Ed can request June to provide her medical or health history before she is hired.
Question Four. Difference between the two files.
On the one hand, the file kept in the human resource office contains personal details of a specific employee which may be related to job performance, family contacts due to emergency cases, performance evaluation results, and compensation package, among other aspects. On the other hand, the file maintained in the employer’s health office contains critical medical information of the employee which may involve details related to doctor’s comments, drug tests, physical health, and may even highlight health information of the employee’s family members. Information about employees’ medical information must be stored confidentially to promote security and privacy of the respective individual.
