Coalition Pushes for Privacy in Electronic Health Records

Coalition Pushes for Privacy in Electronic Health Records
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A broad coalition of 26 organizations, led by Patient Privacy Rights,
has issued a letter urging that privacy be included as a core part of
any health information technology (HIT) system. Patient Privacy Rights
was joined by the American Conservative Union, the American Civil
Liberties Union, the Free Congress Foundation, the Christian Coalition
of America, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center in the letter.

Proponents of electronic access to health records argue that a HIT
system can ease medical treatment. For instance, patients who need
treatment when far from home will benefit if doctors can access their
medical records. However, the organizations said that patients should
have the ability to grant or deny access to that information in ordinary
circumstances. "The proper balance to ensure timely access to medical
records for treatment and preserve patient control of medical records
means allowing access in emergencies if consent cannot be obtained, but
requiring patient permission before records are disclosed in everyday
situations," the groups wrote.

The organizations also stressed the need for strong security measures
for any HIT system. In light of the many security breaches reported by
commercial and financial institutions, security standards for a HIT
system must be stronger than those currently used by the financial
services industry.

The flexibility of an electronic system of health records should also
allow patients to control the levels of access for different groups. For
instance, while treating physicians may need access to personal
information like names, addresses, and phone numbers, medical
researchers conducting statistical studies would not need such
information.

Congress is currently considering several health information technology
bills, each named the "Wired for Health Care Quality Act." Last
November, the Senate passed S. 1418, which is awaiting action in the
House. There are also two House companion bills, H.R. 4642 and H.R.
4726.

Patient Privacy Coalition Letter:


http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/site/PageServer?pagename=CoalitionSignOnLtr

EPIC's Medical Privacy Page

http://www.epic.org/privacy/medical/

Patient Privacy Rights

http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/

S. 1418:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:s.01418:

H.R. 4642:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.04642:

H.R. 4726:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.04726: