Final answer:
The HIM department aids in research by providing access to health records while adhering to privacy protections such as those mandated by HIPAA. Policies must consider privacy, quality of life, and treatment costs, safeguarded by ethical and legal frameworks like IRBs and hemovigilance systems.
Step-by-step explanation:
The HIM department plays a vital role in the research process, which includes providing health records for participants in studies to external monitors and auditors. When developing policies balancing the costs of treatments and diagnoses, patient quality of life, and individual privacy risks, some important questions to address include:
- How can we ensure patient health information is protected while still providing necessary access for research and treatment purposes?
- What frameworks can be established to evaluate the risk-benefit ratio of new treatments and diagnostics, with a patient's quality of life as a central focus?
- In what ways can we structure consent forms and data-sharing practices to maintain confidentiality as mandated by HIPAA?
Sharing of digital records among healthcare providers has been proposed to improve healthcare quality and reduce costs, while also ensuring privacy is protected by legal measures like HIPAA and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).
Research involving human participants is regulated by ethical standards and laws, including oversight by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and hemovigilance systems to minimize risks.