Question

When external reviewers request access to electronic patient records, the IT professionals at Charity Clinic determine that giving the reviewers a username and password to access all records in the database is the quickest and easiest approach. As the HIM Director, your response to this would be to:

a) Grant them access with the provided credentials
b) Provide access but restrict their permissions to sensitive information
c) Deny access and recommend a more secure method
d) Consult with other departments before granting access

Answer 1

As the HIM Director, you should consult with other departments before granting external reviewers access to all patient records in the database. This approach ensures a balanced decision-making process that considers the costs of treatments and diagnoses, patient quality of life, and risks to individual privacy.

Step-by-step explanation:

As the HIM Director, your response to giving external reviewers a username and password to access all patient records in the database would be to consult with other departments before granting this access. This approach ensures that all relevant stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process and helps to balance the competing interests of cost, patient quality of life, and individual privacy.

By consulting with other departments, you can address the following key questions:

1. What are the potential risks to individual privacy if external reviewers have access to all patient records? This question allows you to consider the confidentiality and security implications of granting such broad access.
2. What is the impact on patient quality of life if external reviewers have access to all their records? This question helps you assess how the patients may feel about their personal information being accessed by external parties.
3. Are there alternative approaches that can balance the costs of treatments and diagnoses, patient quality of life, and risks to individual privacy more effectively? This question encourages you to explore other options, such as providing limited access to specific records or implementing additional security measures.

By addressing these questions and involving other departments in the decision-making process, you can develop policies that consider the various factors at play and strike a balance between the different interests involved.