HIPAA Research Paper Essays - Law, Health, Data Security

HIPAA Research Paper The HIPAA history starts on 21st August 1996, when the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was signed into law as an Act to "improve the portability and accountability of health insurance coverage" for employees between jobs. Other objectives of the Act were to combat waste, fraud and abuse in health insurance and healthcare delivery. The Act contains passages to promote the use of medical savings accounts by introducing tax breaks, provides coverage for employees with pre-existing medical conditions and simplifies the administration of health insurance. The procedures for simplifying the administration of health insurance became a vehicle to encourage the healthcare industry to computerize patients' medical records. This particular part of the Act spawned the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) in 2009, which in turn lead to the introduction of the Meaningful Use incentive program - described by leaders in the healt hcare industry as "the most important piece of healthcare legislation to be passed in the last 20 to 30 years". PHI stands for Protected Health Information and is any information in a medical record that can be used to identify an individual, and that was created, used, or disclosed in the course of providing a health care service, such as a diagnosis or treatment. ePHI is Electronic Protected Health Information and is All individually identifiable health information that is created, maintained. This includes PHI on desktop, web, mobile, wearable and other technology such as email, text messages, etc. This information is protected with Electronic Protected Health Information. The HIPAA Privacy Rule protects the privacy of individually identifiable health information, called protected health information (PHI), as explained in the Privacy Rule. The Security Rule protects a subset of information covered by the Privacy Rule, which is all individually identifiable health information a covered entity creates, receives, maintains or transmits in electronic form. The Security Rule calls this informati on "electronic protected health information" (e-PHI). The Security Rule does not apply to PHI transmitted orally or in writing. The Privacy Rule sets the standards for, among other things, who may have access to PHI, while the Security Rule sets the standards for ensuring that only those who should have access to EPHI will actually have access. The Privacy Rule requires covered entities to have in place appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards and to implement those safeguards reasonably. As a result, covered entities that have implemented the Privacy Rule requirements in their organizations may find that they have already taken some of the measures necessary to comply with the Security Rule. The Security Rule provides for far more comprehensive security requirements than 45 CFR 164.530 of the Privacy Rule and includes a level of detail not provided in that section. As covered entities begin security compliance planning initiatives, they should consider conducting an assessment of the initiatives implemented for privacy compliance. The HITECH Act extends the imposition of both civil and criminal penalties under HIPAA to Business Associates, not just Covered Entities. As a general message of caution, this component of the health care industry should also take on the self-evaluation of existing policies, procedures and safeguards. Another aspect to the impact of HITECH on HIPAA is that OCR (Optical Character Recognition) was given the authority to enforce HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules and has been systematically investigating situations involving data breaches by health care providers. Since the enactment of HITECH thousands of breaches in the health care industry have been reported. Although penalties exist under current law, imposition is rare at this point. That said, two significant penalties were assessed in 2011 in excess of $1m and involved large health care organizations; it is expected that the occurrence will only increase in the future. The HIPAA violations can be expensive. The penalties for noncompliance are based on the level of negligence and can range from $100 to $50,000 per violation (or per record), with a maximum penalty of $1.5 million per year for violations of an identical provision. Violations can also carry criminal charges that can result in jail time. Fines will increase with the number of patients and the amount of neglect. Starting with a breach where you didn't know and, by exercising reasonable diligence, would

Childhood obesity and advertising

Childhood obesity and advertising Introduction Obesity in children has become a major concern in most parts of the world. This escalation in the rate at which the young generation is being affected by the scourge has prompted the urge of answering questions concerning the causes of obesity and its possible preventive measures.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Childhood obesity and advertising specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More While this is the case, some theorists and experts believe that there exists a relationship between obesity and junk food, which is widely advertised through the media. This essay explores the relationship between obesity in children and marketing of junk food. Child obesity Before discussing the relationship between child obesity and marketing of junk food through the media, it is paramount to understand the meaning of obesity and some of its effects in human beings, especially in children. In its simplicity, obesity refers to a case where one has excess body fat. Although there is no conventional definition of child obesity, many nutritionists base their definition on body mass index, commonly denoted as BMI (CDC 2012). In other cases, child obesity is described as body weight that is higher than the normal weight of a child with the same height by at least 20%. Unlike in previous years when cases of obesity were rare, it has become one of the most common health complications affecting young people in America and several First World countries. According to the American Obesity Association, approximately fifteen percent of adolescents and children in the United States are obese, with the number expected to rise (American Psychological Association 2012). Why should the world be bothered with child obesity? The truth of the matter is that obesity has a wide range of effects, which make it a global health threat. Obesity exposes victims to health, social and emotional problems, which may haunt them throughout their lives (CDC 2012). Additionally, obese children have a higher likelihood of developing obesity when they advance into adulthood. This exposes them to severe and fatal health complications like heart attack, diabetes and high blood pressure. In this line of thought, there are several factors, which are believed to cause child obesity in the world today.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They include genetic, dietary habits, socioeconomic factors and lack of exercises (American Psychological Association 2012). On the other hand, marketing of junk food has been associated with the rising cases of child obesity in America and around the world. The following segment explains this relationship between media ads and dietary habits in children. Childhood obesity and advertising Due to the advancement in technology, 21st century children are exposed to a wide range of media and are known to spend a lot of time in front of television sets, computers and video game screens. According to the American Psychological Association, there is a direct connection between junk food adverts and increasing levels of obesity among children (American Psychological Association 2012). This is based on the fact that young children, who have become active media customers, do not have the ability to draw a line between advertising and programming (Lovelock, Patterson Wirtz 2011). Additionally, children below the age of eight years do not understand why junk food companies make adverts with a persuasive intention. As a result, many psychologists argue that junk food adverts, which target children within such vulnerable age groups is exploitative. Unlike adults, children are known to have extraordinary ability to remember media content, which they feed on (Are Commercials Making You a Junk-Food Freak 2010). Notably, it has been found that children gain specific product pre ference with even a single advert, and this increases when repetitive ads are displayed by the media. Consequently, the preferences affect tastes among children and their requests to parents, which end up influencing their budget decisions (Lovelock, Patterson Wirtz 2011). Unlike adults who are bombarded with an array of ads ranging from clothing to cars, children are always exposed to high concentration of junk food ads. According to research, 32% of junk adverts usually carry candy foods, 31% cereals and 9% fast food content (Caroli et al. 2004). Although it might sound unrealistic to some people, researchers have found out that up to eleven food adverts can be aired in one hour especially during weekend morning shows on television, when most children are at home. These results imply that a child in such environment is exposed to one junk food advert in every five minutes of his or her TV watching (Lovelock, Patterson Wirtz 2011).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Childhood obesity and advertising specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One common feature in most junk stuffs advertised is the insufficiency of body nutrients. Although initial foodstuffs had high levels of sugar, these have been replaced with snack foods, which are known to have high-fat content. While most of the researches done on the impact of junk ads on children are rarely made public, it has clearly been proven that TV adverts affect purchase preferences for most children around the world (Lovelock, Patterson Wirtz 2011). Amazingly, fast food companies spent unbelievable amount of money on junk adverts, which strictly target children within the vulnerable age bracket. Many marketing executives believe that children under the age of twelve years can spend $35 billion of their cash and influence over $200 billion of household expenditure. In essence, marketers believe that the current generation is a huge consumer group, which c an draw the attention of any business-oriented person as a target market. As a result, children and young adults spend a lot of their money and influence people around them, including parents, siblings and friends to spend on junk products (Caroli et al. 2004). Although parents may have their influence, it has been found that junk ads have boosted the ability of kids to convince their parents and influence their purchase patterns. In addition, the time spent by children watching television is usually proportional to their influence and the frequency of requesting for junk foods from parents (Are Commercials Making You a Junk-Food Freak 2010). This implies that the amount of commercial ads, which a child is exposed to, is principal in influencing their feeding and preference trends. Importantly, requests made by children while moving around in a supermarket with parents or siblings have a higher likelihood of influencing purchases made than those made elsewhere (Lovelock, Patterson Wirtz 2011). In some cases, children who are as young as three years old get influenced by TV adverts through their parents’ decisions. Parents with such young children expose their children to high-caloric products, which are commonly advertised on television. In some experiments with different sets of foods such as junk and fruits, children preferred those foods, which they were frequently exposed to (Lovelock, Patterson Wirtz 2011).Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is to say that those who get exposed to balanced meals end up adopting proper eating habits. Moreover, marketers tend to embed junk commercials with images of items mostly preferred by children. For example, common junk ads carry famous cartoons to win the attention of children and influence their choice of food. In the context of junk foods and commercials, it is essential to analyze how media personalities, celebrities and role models influence the eating habits of many children in the world. In recent studies, it has been found that there is a steady increase in the number of junk ads, which are being done by TV and movie characters. As a result, most fast food outlets concentrate on ads that carry public personalities, which are highly recognized by young children (Lovelock, Patterson Wirtz 2011). To further the attention of children and parents, McDonald’s has partnered with Disney to allow the use of Disney toys in marketing its Happy Meals. Another way through wh ich adverts promote poor eating habits and childhood obesity is through media presentation of body images. In most cases, televisions, movies and magazines have preferred thinner bodies as compared to natural and healthy body images, a trend that has been known to influence children and young adults. This negative representation causes children to ignore healthy eating, especially when thin and celebrated characters feature adverts (Lovelock, Patterson Wirtz 2011). This analogy concurs with research findings, linking poor eating disorders to media ads. As a matter of fact, the influence occurs since children receive contradicting dietary messages, regarding healthy eating and the definition of an ideal body image in the world today. From such ads, the impression generated is the desire for a thinner body, coupled with fatty, sugary and salty foodstuffs, which are significantly blamed for rising cases of obesity (Caroli et al. 2004). From this analysis, it is evident that marketing of junk food contributes to increasing cases of child obesity in the world today. Coupled with massive usage of digital media, children spent a lot of their time watching TV shows, which are flooded with junk food commercials (Lovelock, Patterson Wirtz 2011). It therefore presents a complex problem in finding a solution, which may involve law makers, junk food manufactures, media owners and parents. References American Psychological Association 2012, The Impact of food advertising on Childhood obesity https://www.apa.org/topics/kids-media/food. Are Commercials Making You a Junk-Food Freak? 2010, Scholastic Scope, vol. 59 no. 7, pp. 14-15. Caroli, M, Argentieri, L, Cardone, M Masi, A 2004, Role of television in childhood obesity prevention, International Journal of Obesity Related Metabolic Disorders, vol. 28 no. 1, pp. 104-108. CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2012, https://www.cdc.gov/. Lovelock, H, Patterson, P Wirtz, J 2011, Services marketing: an Asia Pacific and Australian perspective, Pearson Australia, Frenchs Forest, NSW.