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What ethical principle requires HIM professionals to ensure that the patient makes decisions regarding access to their health information?
Which of the following ethical issues directly relates to the release of health information?
Which step is crucial in the ethical decision-making process to resolve complex ethical problems?
What is a key ethical obligation of HIM professionals according to the AHIMA Code of Ethics?
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Which of the following best describes the principle of nonmaleficence?
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What is a consequence of failing to address ethical issues in health information management?
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Which ethical principle requires the HIM professional to release information only to individuals who will benefit the patient?
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What ethical standard plays a key role in guiding health information management practices?
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What should be included in the analysis of medical records besides discharge summaries?
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Which of the following groups is essential for building interdisciplinary collaborative teams for HIM research?
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What is one of the proposed actions to address issues of medical identity fraud for victims?
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What has changed in the documentation process in today's healthcare system compared to a few decades ago?
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What ethical guideline helps HIM professionals assess their actions?
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How can electronic health records (EHR) exacerbate medical identity theft?
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Which aspect should be considered when designing systems to evaluate employees’ accountability in healthcare?
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In the context of health information management, what does HIM typically focus on when thinking about identity?
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What was the first year that the American Association of Medical Record Librarians passed the Code of Ethics for Medical Record Science?
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Which of these ethical obligations is NOT typically associated with HIM professionals?
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What core issues must be addressed by HIM professionals regarding health information?
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The AHIMA Code of Ethics requires HIM professionals to base their decisions on which of the following?
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Which type of information must HIM professionals protect according to their ethical obligations?
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When was the most recent revision made to the HIM Code of Ethics prior to 2023?
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What themes were identified based on an analysis of the AHIMA Code of Ethics over the years?
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What is the main professional responsibility of HIM professionals?
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What is a key role of the HIM professional in relation to patient information?
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Which of the following is considered an unacceptable documentation practice?
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What ethical principle should be respected regarding the release of information?
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When reviewing a request for information from an insurance company, what is NOT a routine check performed by the HIM professional?
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A common ethical issue arises from the misuse of which type of authorization?
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What is the current standard of practice regarding the abstracting of information?
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What does the HIM professional do to support the integrity of data?
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Why might a blanket authorization pose a problem for patients?
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What ethical issue arises from pressure to code inappropriate levels of service?
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What is a consequence of failing to adhere to coding rules for reimbursement?
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Which factor does NOT contribute to ethical problems faced by quality management professionals?
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What type of negative outcome can result from providing home healthcare?
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Which ethical issue is associated with the concealment of performance data?
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What common quality outcome problem involves incomplete health records?
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Which responsibility can conflict with the need to protect patient privacy?
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What issue can arise from quality reporting systems in healthcare?
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Study Notes
Ethical Issues in Health Information Management
- Core ethical problems in health information management include: privacy and confidentiality, compliance, fraud and abuse, clinical code selection and use, quality review, research and decision support, public health, managed care, clinical care, electronic health information systems, management of sensitive information, roles of managers, entrepreneurs and advocates, and business relationships with vendors.
- Historical problems in research and ethics highlight the importance of diligence in future research endeavors.
- Ethical principles and professional values guide health information management professionals in addressing ethical problems.
- The AHIMA Code of Ethics guides behaviors such as protecting privacy, advancing HIM knowledge and practice, advocating for others, and refusing to participate in or conceal unethical behaviors.
- An ethical decision-making process can be used to resolve complex ethical problems
- Ethics involves reasoned discourse among decision-makers.
- Ethical discussions provide a framework for resolving conflicts between competing values.
- Ethics is a formal process of intentionally and critically analyzing the basis of one's moral judgments.
Ethical Principles and Professional Values
- Autonomy requires the HIM professional to ensure patients make decisions regarding access to their health information.
- Beneficence requires the HIM professional to ensure information is released only to individuals who need it to benefit the patient.
- Nonmaleficence requires the HIM professional to ensure information is not released to individuals who are not authorized to access it and could potentially harm the patient.
Professional Code of Ethics
- The first Code of Ethics for the Practice of Medical Record Science was passed in 1957 by the American Association of Medical Record Librarians.
- The first code of ethics combined ethical principles with professional values to support HIM professional decision-making.
- The Code of Ethics has been revised several times since 1957.
- Upon being awarded the RHIA credential, the HIM professional agrees to follow the principles and values outlined in the AHIMA Code of Ethics.
- The HIM professional is responsible for protecting patient privacy, even if federal or state laws do not require it.
Professional Values and Obligations
- HIM professionals are obligated to protect patient privacy and confidential information.
- Core health information issues include what information should be collected, how it should be handled, who should have access, and under what conditions it should be disclosed.
- Ethical obligations are essential to the professional's responsibility, regardless of employment site or information management method.
- Ethical and professional values are based on obligations to the patient, healthcare team, employer, public, peers, and professional associations.
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Themes and values identified in the AHIMA Code of Ethics include:
- Obligations to the Patient and the Healthcare Team
- Obligations to the Employer
- Obligations to the Public
- Obligations to Peers and Professional Associations.
Obligations to the Patient and the Healthcare Team
- HIM professionals are obligated to protect all sensitive information related to the patient, including clinical, behavioral, and financial information.
- Analysis of the medical record for accuracy can help identify falsification of information.
- HIM professionals should participate in research studies aimed at identifying medical identity theft.
- Risk assessments should be conducted to address the increasing threat of identity theft in the electronic health record (EHR) environment.
- HIM professionals should work to design systems that assess employee integrity and accountability.
- HIM professionals should ensure healthcare teams understand the importance of respecting patient information.
- HIM professionals should ensure colleagues understand and value the AHIMA Code of Ethics.
Ethical Issues Related to Documentation and Privacy
- Due to the increasing use of electronic health records, many different individuals document in patient health records and many more individuals have access to the data.
- HIM professionals play a critical role in developing policies and procedures to ensure the integrity of patient information, including appropriate and authorized access.
- HIM professionals should ensure compliance with federal and state laws as well as accrediting and licensing agency requirements.
- HIM professionals can design and deliver educational sessions for healthcare teams to educate them on documentation and access rules and regulations.
- Unacceptable documentation practices include backdating records or changing documentation to reflect known outcomes of care.
Ethical Issues Related to Release of Information
- The primary ethical problems related to release of information include violations of the need-to-know principle, misuse of blanket authorizations, and violations of privacy as a result of secondary release of information procedures.
- HIM professionals should adhere to the need-to-know principle when releasing information, carefully examining requests and verifying information.
- Misuse of blanket authorizations can occur when patients sign authorizations without understanding the implications, allowing requesters access to information for extended periods.
- The direct linkage between coding and payment has led to increased pressure on HIM professionals to transmit inaccurate information, raising ethical and legal concerns.
- Problems include pressure to code inappropriate levels of service, discovering misrepresentation in physician documentation, miscoding to avoid conflict, discovering miscoding by other staff, lacking coding tools and education, and being required to engage in negligent coding practices.
- Failure to comply with complex coding rules for reimbursement can lead to compliance and fraud and abuse problems for HIM professionals.
Ethical Issues Related to Quality Management, Decision Support, Public Health, Managed Care, and Clinical Care
- The rising cost of healthcare, limited resources, and concerns with patient safety contribute to ethical problems faced by quality management professionals.
- Common quality outcome problems include inaccurate performance data being shared with the public, negative care outcomes, failure to check physician licensure status, incomplete health records concealed from accreditation surveys, and patterns of inappropriate healthcare.
- The pressures to conceal information discovered through quality reporting systems create ethical dilemmas, particularly when patient safety is at risk.
- HIM professionals are increasingly involved in public health systems.
- The government's obligation to protect public health sometimes competes with the need to protect patient privacy, such as in the case of reporting HIV status.
- State and local mandated reporting requirements exist for certain conditions, including infectious and communicable diseases.
Additional Considerations
- The increasing accessibility and sensitivity of patient information in the EHR makes it crucial to protect this data.
- HIM professionals must remain diligent in upholding ethical principles and values to ensure the integrity and ethical use of patient information within healthcare systems.
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Description
Explore the core ethical dilemmas faced in health information management, including privacy, compliance, and clinical care. Understand the historical context and the role of ethical principles and the AHIMA Code of Ethics in guiding professionals. This quiz will enhance your knowledge of ethical decision-making processes in health information management.
