Legislative_Changes_in_Healthcare.docx Legislative Changes in Healthcare Purdue Global

Legislative_Changes_in_Healthcare.docx    Legislative Changes in Healthcare  Purdue Global University  HS410– Unit Seven    Healthcare is ever-evolving, and changes are necessary to keep up with America's elaborate healthcare system. As a result of these changes, our institution needs to stay updated with these changes and implement the necessary adjustments for a smooth transition.   While researching some of the current updates, two policy changes are in line with our everyday concerns and directly impact our academic medical center. The Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (OCR) requested the public's comments and concerns to implement improvements to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This policy change aims to improve quality of care, patient privacy, and increase the ability to access patient records, thus facilitating coordinated care. In a recent discussion with Congress, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) informed them that healthcare providers do not feel comfortable sharing patient information due to HIPAA restrictions and repercussions (HIPAA Journal, 2018). These restrictions cause a patient's care to be delayed. This policy mandates changes to parents' involvement in the care of a minor, a more effective manner to treat patients with mental illnesses, directions to address the opioid crisis, and improvements to accessibly of patient records by providers and the patient. (American Health Information Management Asso