Opinion Piece Discusses Need For Stronger Privacy Measures For Health Records

Main Category: IT / Internet / E-mail
Also Included In: Public Health;  Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 27 Aug 2008 - 10:00 PDT

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The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act notification form received by patients during doctor visits "offers no control over who sees your information and instead just tells you about some of the entities that can access your information, rather than asking for your permission," according to a Christian Science Monitor opinion piece by Sue Blevins, president of the Institute for Health Freedom. Blevins writes that under HIPAA, personal health information can "flo[w] freely over the Internet between public health officials, health care providers, insurance and data clearinghouse companies and others," without patient consent, but "the notification form doesn't clearly explain this." She adds, "Lack of privacy has serious consequences. It fosters making personal health information a commodity that businesses sell and trade in the marketplace." In addition, she states, "Weak privacy rights also interfere with doctor-patient relationships."

"Tinkering with HIPAA" alone will not "establish stronger privacy rights," she writes, adding, "That would just keep a lot of people busy rewriting regulations that don't guarantee privacy." According to Blevins, "many physicians and other health care providers are urging Congress to strengthen privacy rights," and are "lobbying for privacy amendments to key health Internet-technology bills currently being considered in Congress." She concludes, "Congress needs to pass a new law that defines 'privacy' and upholds the precious ethic of consent. The new law should guarantee individuals' freedom to decide whether to be part of electronic medical-record and genetic databases for years to come" (Blevins, Christian Science Monitor, 8/26).

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