Care institutions are tasked with the duty of implementing systems that will further protect the interests of the patient by protecting personal information relating to the client and their care process. As a result, the failure to ensure the protection of patient information could have serious implications on the care institution. This was the case for St. Joseph’s Health System. By implementing a system that caused open access to patient information to the public for over a year, the company received a $2.14 million fine alongside a $28 million settlement for a class action issued by the 32,000 patient whose information had become available to the public (McGee, 2016).
Reflecting on this issue, one notices that various disciplines were involved within the erroneous implementation of the new system. As part of the requirements of care ethics, it is necessary to determine the importance of maintaining the security and privacy of patient information within the care setting. This is not only a professional requirement, but also a legal requirement. As a result, project involving security systems of the care environment need especially keen investigation to prove their viability and usability. Risk assessment ranging from improper server setting to an open door must be looked into to avoid the adverse effects of the law from taking course within the organization (Niimi & Ota, 2014).
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Furthermore, the fines against St. Joseph’s were hefty due to the fact that the information was left available to third parties for close to a year. It would appear that the organization had failed to notice the flaw in the system since the implementation of the system. Therefore, project testing is equally important before bringing up a new system. In conclusion then, the seriousness which healthcare data protection is given was once again proven through this case scenario. It is necessary to ensure that patient data is protected and necessary processes surrounding this be streamlined.
References
McGee, M. (2016). $2 Million HIPAA Penalty After Patient Data Exposed on Web . Retrieved from Info Risk Today: http://www.inforisktoday.com/2-million-hipaa-penalty-after-patient-data-exposed-on-web-a-9465 .
Niimi, Y., & Ota, K. (2014). Privacy Recognition by Nurses and Necessity of Their Information Security Education. 2014 International Conference on Education Reform and Modern Management (pp. ERMM-14). Atlantis Press.
