Final answer:
The answer to the student's question about HIPAA regulations and computerized medical records is that all the stated options - posing problems of confidentiality, enhancing efficiency of record maintenance and retrieval, and accessing records on a need-to-know basis - are correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
Within HIPAA regulations, computerized medical records 1) pose problems of confidentiality, 2) make a record maintenance and retrieval more efficient, and 3) should be accessed on a need-to-know basis. The answer to the student's question is 4) all of the above. HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, sets rigorous standards for the protection of patient health information to ensure both the efficiency of healthcare delivery and the confidentiality and privacy of patient records.
Health records are a concern, and policies that balance the costs of treatments and diagnoses, patient quality of life, and risks to individual privacy must address several critical questions. These may include: How can the confidentiality of electronic health records be ensured? How should the information shared among health providers be managed to improve healthcare quality while safeguarding patient privacy? What are the legal and ethical considerations when protecting patient privacy, especially when it may impact others' health, as in the notification of sexual partners about potential STD exposure?
HIPAA's main goals are to ensure the privacy of personal health records and regulate the flow of health care information. It requires that any sharing of digital records among health providers be done with strict adherence to patient confidentiality. The law mandates that access to patient records be based on a legitimate need for the information, related to treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.