In 2018, three Massachusetts hospitals were fined a considerable sum of money for allowing a film crew to shoot a documentary in their facilities without asking for the patient’s consent. The three hospitals granted the ABC crew in their hospitals without consulting their patients. The hospitals were considered to have violated the HIPAA acts by recording patients in their private and vulnerable moment. The hospitals should have protected against strangers filming the patients without their consent.

The hospitals would have, however, avoided the fines if their staff had been given proper training on the HIPAA Act to ensure that they understand their patients’ rights. By doing so, they would have avoided the fines that they had attracted. The hospitals claimed that they had sought for the patient’s consent before the crew was allowed into the facility. Therefore, to avoid future cases, the hospitals should come up with a form that a patient will sign as a way of consenting to similar events in future for it to be used as evidence in case of an accusation of violations.

Response 1

I believe that the Lebanon VA Medical Center case is a reflection of a severe case of HIPAA violation which could lead to financial harm to the patients. The information could be used to blackmail the hospital’s clients. Thus, to add on the suggestions made on the recommendations that the hospital should put in place to avert such occurrences in future, the hospital should ensure that patients’ information is highly protected.

Response 2

After reading the article, I think that Albany-based Med Associates would have also avoided the hacking incident in their facilities which compromised patient information. This could have been achieved by ensuring that the personnel charged with handling such sensitive matters are highly vetted to ascertain their integrity.

Do you need high quality Custom Essay Writing Services?