Final answer:
A PHR's role includes protecting, coordinating, and sharing health information but does not directly avoid services duplication. Policy development must address privacy, access, and balance between care coordination and privacy rights, aligning with standards like HIPAA and considerations of recent healthcare laws.
Step-by-step explanation:
A Personal Health Record (PHR) can perform several functions to enhance healthcare quality and efficiency, such as protecting health information, coordinating care among providers, sharing health information, and avoiding duplication of services. However, one thing a PHR cannot do is avoid duplication of services as it's designed to facilitate care, not directly interfere with clinical decision-making that could lead to duplicate tests or treatments if not managed responsibly by healthcare providers.
When developing policies to balance the costs of treatments and diagnoses, patient quality of life, and risks to individual privacy, one must consider several important questions such as:
- How can we ensure that the privacy of electronic health records is upheld in accordance with legal standards such as HIPAA?
- What mechanisms can be established to protect against unauthorized access or breaches?
- How do we balance the need for sharing information for patient care coordination with the individual's right to privacy?
It is crucial to continually assess the impact of these policies on different stakeholders involved, such as nonprofit health organizations, private hospitals, and governmental agencies like Health and Social Services. Moreover, new healthcare legislation such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, aims to expand access to healthcare but also presents new challenges and considerations for health information privacy.