Journal of AHIMA - March 2011

their responsibilities and the protocols for reporting actions that could put patients or the organization at risk.

In addition, employers must use caution as they venture into personal sites maintained by employees. Unless the employer has been given the right, information contained on an employee’s personal site cannot be used in the workplace. Examples of court cases upholding privacy rights of employees on their private Web sites include Konop v. Hawaiian Airlines, Pietrylo v. Hillstone Restaurant Group, and Blakey v. Continental Airlines.

The laws can be vague in their relation to social media, and they continue to change. Technology is outrunning regulations. As such, continuing education on industry activities is critical. Organizations must regularly review policies and procedures and update them as necessary. Complaints must be acted upon immediately to reduce exposure and risk. And employees must be continually reminded of their responsibility to their peers, their employers, and their patients. ¢

References

“AMA Weighs in on Social Media.” Health Data Management. January 1, 2011. Available online at www.healthdataman- agement.com/issues/19_1/ama-weighs-in-on-social-me- dia-41631-1.html.

Barwise, Patrick, and Sean Meehan. “The One Thing You Must Get Right When Building a Brand.” Harvard Business Review 88, no. 12 (December 2010): 80–84.

Dimick, Chris. “Privacy Policies for Social Media.” Journal of AHIMA, January 6, 2010. Web exclusive. Available online at http://journal.ahima.org/2010/01/06/social-media-policies.

Edelman, David. “Branding in the Digital Age: You’re Spending Your Money in All the Wrong Places.” Harvard Business Review 88, no. 12 (Dec. 2010): 62–69.

Gaines-Ross, Leslie. “Reputation Warfare.” Harvard Business Review 88, no. 12 (Dec. 2010): 70–76.

ID Experts. “Avoid the Risks of Anti-Social Networking.” Data Breach Examiner 7 (Nov. 2010).

Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media. http://socialmedia.mayo-clinic.org.

Spenner, Patrick. “Why You Need a New-Media ‘Ringmaster.’” Harvard Business Review 88, no. 12 (Dec. 2010): 78–79.

Wolf, Dale. “Making Social Media Work for Business.” Expert Access. September 8, 2010. Available online at http://expertac- cess.cincom.com/2010/09/making-social-media-work-for- business.

Cecilia Backman is associate director of health record integrity and registry services at Parkland Health and Hospital System. Susan Dolack is a product marketing manager at Siemens Healthcare. Denise Dunyak is a data and accountability manager at Pressley Ridge. Laurie Lutz is the director of health information and medical records at Kootenai Medical Center. Anne Tegen is the director of HIM at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and co-chair of AHIMA’s EHR Practice Council. Diana Warner ( diana.warner@ahima.org) is a practice manager at AHIMA. LaVonne Wieland is the director of information privacy at HealthEast Care Systems in St. Paul, MN.

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