Understanding barriers to safe and confidential health care: Where we are, where we hope to go, and how each of us can play a role in the policy-changing process

Feuer, Caitlin N.

Friday, March 20, 2015: 4:00 PM-5:20 PM

Congressional Hall B (Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel)

Speakers:
Caitlin N. Feuer, MPP, MBA, Massachusetts Health Safety Net
Erin C. Miller, MPS, MDV, CTSS, CASC-T, Newton-Wellesley Hospital

Authors:
Caitlin N. Feuer, MPP, MBA, Massachusetts Health Safety Net
Lenore Tsikitas, MPH, CYT, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Julie Lewis, MPH, National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association

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Presentation Format:
Innovative/Promising Practice Program Report

Learning Objectives:

Have the information, strategies, and other tools to take action to improve patient privacy and confidentiality locally, including expanding coalitions, engaging new partners, and bringing diverse stakeholders to the table.
Have a better understanding of the complexity and nuance of providing confidential health care from registration to billing, and beyond.
Consider patient access and privacy from a relational perspective, understanding the cost-shifting burdens placed on health centers forced to absorb the costs or bill Medicaid, Title X, and other safety net programs that offer confidential services and payment when private insurers do not.

Description:
Even health care systems committed to providing confidential care can inadvertently miss important steps and compromise safety and access. What does "confidential" care really mean? What are the cost implications of providing it? Come explore how client interactions with health IT, billing, pharmacy, and referral systems can lead to confidentiality breaches, and learn strategies to prevent them. Building on state and national data and policies, we offer tools and recommendations to identify allies, influence policies, and create change.