Unit VII Assignment
Textbook: Murphy, J. K. (2015). Legal, political and regulatory environment in EMS (J. T. Lindsey, Ed.). Pearson.
You are the emergency medical services (EMS) chief working for a suburban fire department that provides advanced life support first response and transport services. The organization is known for its high call volume and for being on the cutting edge of technology. Additionally, the organization and personnel enjoy a very good working relationship with the hospital system and staff.
The medical command physician contacts you and shares that he recently became aware of a case study in another part of the country where paramedics and local hospital staff were using their personal cell phones to communicate patients’ names, assessment findings, and medical history. Additionally, the case study described pictures of patients and emergency scenes relevant to patient care being shared in the same manner. Finally, the medical command physician shares with you that the case study detailed that the information was shared using the personal cell phones for both patients being transported and for the completion of patient refusal of care forms. The results revealed that the practice was believed to be widespread among the employees of both organizations.
The medical command physician would like to develop a training guide for fire department personnel that addresses the following points:
- the purpose of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA),
- who must comply with HIPAA,
- patient information protected by HIPAA,
- fire department policy for communicating patient care information to the emergency department,
- the use of personal cell phones for communicating patient care information to the hospital,
- the collection and sharing of pictures of emergency scenes that are relative to patient care with hospital staff, and
- the consequences, including legal and political consequences, for failing to comply with HIPAA requirements.
Connect this scenario back to your own organization (Ellisville State School, Mississippi). What can your department learn from this scenario? If you are not currently employed, please use an agency in your local community.
You may choose to either submit a written response or a video that explains the bullet points above.
If you choose the written option: Your written response must be at least two pages in length and include at least two outside sources. One source must be from the CSU Online Library. Include an introduction. All sources used, including the eTextbook, must be cited and referenced according to APA Style.
