In situations of medical complexity, who has access to information about an older adult's health information – including mental health and substance use history and treatment – can be a complicated issue. In this virtual training, a complex older adult health situation was presented. The legal issues related to the privacy of protected health information were reviewed by Jacqueline Seitz, JD, and Christine Khaikin, JD from the SAMHSA-funded Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information (CoE-PHI). Dr. Rebecca Allen discussed ethical issues inherent in the case, highlighting common issues in meeting the needs of older adults while assuring that the right people have the right information. A broader discussion of these issues were lead by  the E4 Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Disparities in aging.

Objectives:

Describe when and how the federal privacy laws apply to the Protected Health Information (PHI) of Older Adults
Identify ethical considerations related to PHI, autonomy, and paternalism
Recognize how to access resources and technical assistance through the E4 Center and the CoE-PHI

Find a list of job descriptions that can be used to help describe various health information and technology, as well as cybersecurity, employment options. This information was compiled in early 2022.

A variety of health information and technology positions are represented. This information is intended to assist health centers in understanding the many different domains of the profession as well as possible job descriptions that could be useful during recruitment.

This learning collaborative presented by the HITEQ Center, allowed participants to learn about health center promising practices and key considerations to support the successful collection, monitoring, and addressing of social needs data. During the series participants explored the levels of maturity in the social needs screening implementation process. Participants gained information on concrete strategies and IT solutions that will help to improve internal systems, such as EHR utilization and care team workflows, and increase their capacity to advance individual and population-level health.  Health center exemplars were showcased.

This learning collaborative by the HITEQ Center allowed participants to learn about health center promising practices and key considerations to support the successful collection, monitoring, and addressing of social needs data. During the series participants explored the levels of maturity in the social needs screening implementation process. Participants gained information on concrete strategies and IT solutions to help improve internal systems, such as EHR utilization and care team workflows, and increase their capacity to advance individual and population-level health.  Health center exemplars were also showcased.