The main reason why security and privacy of health information is important is because this gives the patients the freedom to disclose health information with whom they are most comfortable with (Murphy, 2015). It is important for the patient to feel that they can trust someone with details of their health status. Once the doctor gets the truthful and correct information about the patient’s health, it makes it easy to come up with more-informed decisions so as to improve the patient’s health (Murphy, 2015). In a scenario where private health information is breached, there can be serious consequences for the organization. This involves financial harm as well as reputational harm t both the organization and the patient. When security and privacy of health information is compromised, it heightens the vulnerability of a patient which can lead to cyber bullying or attacks (Shoniregun, Dube & Mtenzi,  2010). It is vital for a doctor to cultivate a trustworthy relationship with his/her patient.

This is possible because one should obtain accurate information in the patient’s records. Ensure that the patient has a way to request their medical records electronically. This ensures that the patient is aware about how their health condition is and what medication the doctor has prescribed. The privacy rule ensures that there is protection of identifiable health information that belongs to a client. Whether this information is on a computer, written on paper or in other platforms, the health providers should remember that safeguarding the information is their first priority. There is a national rule provided by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that establishes a set of security rules which contain the administrative, technical and physical safeguards (Murphy, 2015). The security rule has different types of requirements which include; administrative safeguards which issues administrative actions and procedures. This type of safeguard detects, contains, and corrects security violations.

The other type is the physical safeguard, which provides the rules and procedures to guard electronic information systems and any associated equipment from environmental hazard (Murphy, 2015). The third requirement includes organizational standards. These safeguard measure provides a critical criteria that provides written contracts and other arrangements. The last requirement is the policies and procedures which involve appropriate orders and rules which comply with the provisions of the security rules. The state of North Carolina follows the “opt-out” systems which follow the highest security standards. This is possible since the information issued is always encrypted and sent over a private network (North Carolina Health Information Exchange Authority, 2017). North Carolina is also compliant with all the rules and regulations of privacy and security.

Only the authorized healthcare providers or organizations that have entered into the HIPAA are authorized to see the patient’s information but this applies only if the patient has filled in the “op-in” form. The patient has a write to “opt-out” and this means that their information is not shared with any health practitioner in any way (North Carolina Health Information Exchange Authority, 2017). My personal information is not shared within the state of North Carolina because there is a strict privacy and security management system that does not allow disclosure of my health status without my consent. I really appreciate the security involved in protecting my information and I believe that it follows the proper ethics. This allows me to be in control of my health issues without facing stigma and discrimination from people who know about my health condition.

In conclusion, health privacy is vital I that a patient is able to go on with their lives peacefully without being viewed differently by the society. For example if an individual is tested HIV positive and the information is shared on different platforms, then the members of the society stigmatize and judge the individual. This could cause a lot of damage for the victim in that they can lose their jobs, family members and friends due to the fact that the information privacy and security measures were not taken into consideration.