Plan Your Visit: Patient Privacy and ConfidentialityHealth policy can be defined as the plans, decisions, and actions taken to achieve specific health care goals within of a company. Advances in technology, including the Internet, computerized medical databases, and telehealth, have opened the door to potential and unintended breaches of private/confidential health information. Nurses and other health care professionals who regularly work with patients and their confidential medical records should contribute to the development of policies, standards, and laws that protect the confidentiality of health records/information and the privacy of patients. Patient confidentiality and the right to privacy are serious issues in the eyes of the law. There is a nationwide set of standards that help protect individuals' health information, called HIPAA. HIPAA is a set of rules that address the issue and privacy of an individual's health records. Before arranging a meeting with a public official, it is important to conduct research on their area of ​​interest and specialization. As part of my policy priority of patient privacy and confidentiality, I will be hosting a meeting with Illinois Senator Dick Durbin. According to Senator Dick Durbin's website, he is the 47th United States Senator from the State of Illinois. He is also Deputy Majority Leader, elected to the United States Senate on November 5, 1996, re-elected in 2002 and 2008. He serves on the Senate Appropriations, Judiciary, Rules, and Foreign Relations Committees. This information is helpful in establishing a discussion because you need to know not only what I'm passionate about, but also the senator's history and interests. I contacted Senator Durbin's office and explained why I had created ...... middle of paper ...... dependent counselors and other health care personnel. By providing privacy and confidentiality to patients, they would speak openly to their healthcare providers without fear of their loved ones or family knowing about it without their patient's consent. If patients were concerned that their personal information could be revealed to anyone at any time, why would they disclose the truth and, as healthcare providers, how can we best treat our patients safely of our abilities, if we do not get the whole truth? history. The primary goal of HIPAA is to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of patient information. HIPAA is the law passed to protect your privacy, provide access to your medical records, and designate who can speak on your behalf. An important aspect of HIPAA is the patient's right to designate who speaks for themselves and the right to have a copy of their medical records..