As technology continually grows, the use to
telecommunications and networking in health care continue to grow as well. “The
use of telecommunications in health care has grown exponentially in recent years
and has enhanced opportunities for patients, health care professionals and management
of the health industry in general” (Gray, 2014). With the integration of
electronic health records reaching many health care organization, the options
for telecommunications are growing daily. When the use of telecommunications
and electronic medical records, health care professionals have the options of “video
consultations, remote patient data monitoring, nursing call centers and
searching for or saving personal health information online” (Gray, 2014). With
these options available to health professionals, this opens up greater care and
benefits for patients. “Providers benefit from health care telecommunications
as well, in their organization and management of information, and in electronic
tools supporting clinical care” (Gray, 2014). With electronic medical records,
patient information is easier for the provider to retrieve resulting in “more
control over the continued management of health intervention and knowledge of
patient progress” (Gray, 2014).
When organizations convert into an electronic system, this
system must be compatible with telecommunications that are available throughout
the organizations. If an organization adopts new software, hardware may need
updating as well in order to be compatible with telecommunications that are
offered. These technologies include “videoconferencing, the internet,
store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial wireless communications”
(Institute of Medicine, 2012). With advancing technologies, it is the goal to
bring telecommunications to every aspect of health care so that health care can
reach places it has never reached before. Globally, telecommunications can reach areas that have little to no health care available. In doing this, thousands of patients can receive the help that is needed in order to survive.
“Social media sites can be a great way for health care
professionals to network with colleagues and share health information” (Britt,
2014). However, there are many legal and ethical aspects that health care
professionals should be aware of before making the jump into social media. “These
include issues related to patient privacy, fraud and abuse, tax-exempt status,
and physician licensing” (Britt, 2014). Attorney Ike Willett offers details on
the legal issues that can arise:
- · Patient Privacy – HIPAA and state privacy laws limit health care providers’ ability to interact with patients through social media. Health care providers are prohibited from disclosing patient information without proper consent. A health care provider discloses patient information through social media without patient authorization in violation of HIPAA and/or state privacy laws can be subject in fines and other penalties.
- · Fraud & Abuse – Federal and state laws aimed at preventing fraud and abuse in health care prohibit health care providers from giving third parties anything of value as an inducement for the third party to generate referrals to the health care provider for services which may be reimbursable by Medicare or Medicaid.
- · Tax-Exempt Status – Health care providers that are exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code are prohibited from intervening in political campaigns and from seeking to influence legislation as a substantial part of their activities. This may extend to advertisement of sponsoring social media sites that support a political candidate or particular pieces of legislation.
- · Physician Licensing – Health care professionals should not provide medical advice to patients via social media. If a patient receiving the medical advice from a doctor through social media is located in a state in which the doctor is not licensed, the doctor giving the advice risks liability under state licensing laws (Britt, 2014).
In order for health
professionals to avoid ramifications and stay within the laws of the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), “providers should not use
social media to share any health information that could be linked to an
individual patient, such as names, pictures, and physical descriptions, without
the patient’s consent” (Britt, 2014). Health care professionals should take
great care to post disclaimers on any type of social media site, blog, or web
pages where information is being shared. “Healthcare organizations entering the
social network need to make sure they have social media policies that specify
what uses by their employees are permitted and prohibited” (Britt, 2014).
References:
Britt, D. (2014). Healthcare professionals and social
networking. South Source. Retrieved
from
http://source.southuniversity.edu/healthcare-professionals-and-social-networking
33211.aspx
Gray, A. (2014). The advantage of telecommunication in health
care. eHow. Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/infor_8378675_advantages-telecommunications-health-care.html
Institute of Medicine.
(2012). Telehealth. HRSA. Retrieved from
http://www.hrsa.gov/ruralhealth/about/telehealth/
Recruiting for
Healthcare Jobs. (2011). Telehealth
today, not tomorrow. Retrieved from
http://recruitingforhealthcarejobs.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/telehealth-today-not-
tomorrow
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