Title: Explain confidentiality and its connection to standards set by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Course: Dental Careers I (14054-I) > Section: Investigating Dental Ethics and Law

Explanation should include

- the definition of confidentiality
- the reasons that patient confidentiality is important in the practice of dentistry
- the possible consequences of not maintaining patient confidentiality
- a summary of the provisions found in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights HIPAA Standards (e.g., privacy rule, security rule, breach notification rule)
- Virginia Code §32.1-127.1:03.

Process/Skill Questions:

- Why is confidentiality important in dentist-patient relationships?
- What could be the consequences of not maintaining patient confidentiality?
- When does patient confidentiality move from an ethical issue to a legal issue?
- When was HIPAA enacted? Why was it enacted?
- What types of health information are protected under HIPAA?
- Who is responsible for the enforcement of HIPAA?
- How does health information technology (HIT) affect HIPAA?
- What does PHI stand for, and how does it relate to confidentiality?