A summary analysis

Health Disclosure Decision-Making
NameInstitution Affiliation
Health Disclosure Decision-Making
The case involves Dr. Berry, an anesthesiologist expert at Lakeview Medical. Dr. Berry’s investigations commence after nurses notice his poor performance caused by his drug-related problem. The legal conclusion, in this case, was to terminate Dr. Berry’s employment for the best interest of patients at the hospital. This decision was important as it meant to enhance patient’s safety at the hospital. It helped get rid of the incompetent doctor, minimize the damage he would have caused the hospital and escape the unnecessary chaos. Terminating Dr. Berry was a way to avoid crossing legal boundaries and ensuring there is no damage to the hospital-client relationships. Also, it lends a hand in safeguarding the hospital’s reputation to the community, maintains healthy doctor-patient relationships and improves anesthesia services at Lakeview hospital. Lastly, it was a professional way to warn doctors with similar issues to amend their ways.
According to Greene (2015), health-related records are maintained by the documentation section of the healthcare unit as per the guidelines of HIPAA. The patient is allowed to have access to a copy of their records and not the original document. The physical health records are issued to health management and the physician in charge of producing it. There are strict bureaucratic processes involved before a patient’s health information can be disclosed without seeking permission from the patient’s themselves.

Some of the scenarios where such as case can be allowed include; when there is an obligation stated in the law to disclose information and when there is a disclosure obliged by the statute under certain circumstances. Other cases are; during fraud investigations to access confidential health information, a need to investigate if a doctor is fit to practice and in Civil and Criminal courts for sensitive cases.
Moreover, there is a procedure one is mandated to follow whenever they intend to make changes in a written health record. The first step involves highlighting the section with an erroneous entry by marking it with a single line. Next, one is expected to insert the date, time and sign of the correct entry. Secondly, one is required to state the reason for the error and why it is necessary to make the changes. Lastly, one should document the correct information.
In summary, there are strict guidelines for all medical institutions and workers are expected to adhere to when performing their respective duties. Health-related records in hospitals are highly secured, and their retrieval process involves a bureaucratic process that ensures no patient information falls in the wrong hand. There are only a few cases that patient records can be retrieved without the patient’s approval. Lastly, the process of amending the error in the health records is guided by specific steps that must be fulfilled in chronological order.

Reference
Greene, K. (2015). 12 An Integrated Model of Health Disclosure Decision-Making1. Uncertainty, information management, and disclosure decisions: Theories and applications, 226.