Protected Health Information: Differences between Laws, Rules, and Regulations

Running head: PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION 1
Protected Health Information
Name
Institution

PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION 2
Protected Health Information
Differences between Laws, Rules, and Regulations
Health informatics laws can be defined as evolving and complex legal principles that
handle issues related to information technology in the field of healthcare. Health informatics
laws also deal with the circumstances that involve the sharing of data and records with other
fields that support patient care (Appari & Johnson, 2010). This law addresses operational and
ethical issues in addition to the issue of privacy that originates from the use of media,
information and electronic tools in healthcare delivery (Thompson et al., 2011). Additionally, it
recognizes the significance played by interoperability in the fast-evolving legal domain.
Regulations are standards that are adopted by the administrative bodies of the healthcare
system. These standards are used to regulate how the laws are enforced. The regulations are
always published so that the all members of the healthcare system are made aware of what is
legal and what is illegal (Appari & Johnson, 2010). Without the regulations, the administrative
bodies are powerless in enforcing laws. The regulations ensure that sensitive personal
information about patients that may be vulnerable to the negligence and errors of the employees
are protected thus ensuring the privacy and security of PHI.
Rules, on the other hand, are a set of principles that govern the conducts and procedure
within the healthcare system. Rules are sometimes considered to be regulations but the two have
distinct meanings. The rules govern and control the conduct of employees within the healthcare
organization thus ensuring that negligence in handling sensitive patient information is avoided
(Thompson et al., 2011). In doing so, the privacy and security of protected health information are
safeguarded.