Search is Powered by Google
IT / Internet / E-mail News

Experts Raise Privacy, Security Concerns About Online PHR Program Launched By Google, Cleveland Clinic

Main Category: IT / Internet / E-mail
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 25 Feb 2008 - 0:00 PST

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:5 stars

5 (2 votes)

Health Professional:not yet rated

Article Opinions: 0 posts

A pilot program announced on Thursday by the Cleveland Clinic and Google that will place personal health records online has raised concerns among experts about privacy and security breaches, USA Today reports (Kornblum, USA Today, 2/22).

Under the program, Cleveland Clinic patients who agree to participate will have the ability to transfer their PHRs -- which include information such as prescriptions, allergies and medical histories -- between the hospital and an online Google health profile. Patients will have the ability to access their Google health profiles, which will have password protection, through any computer connected to the Internet. Patients also will have the ability to manage any information entered into their PHRs and share the data with physicians and pharmacists (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 2/21).

However, critics "worry that the risk of sensitive medical information falling into the wrong hands -- such as those at insurance companies, employers, drug companies and marketers -- is too great," according to USA Today. The federal medical privacy rule issued after the enactment of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act does not cover medical records placed online, according to Robert Gellman, a privacy and information policy consultant who on Wednesday released a report for the World Privacy Forum that criticized third-party PHRs. In addition, any information placed online is at risk for security breaches, and, unless "there are legal protections and punishments, this kind of thing is of great concern," Greg Sterling, an analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence, said (USA Today, 2/22).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.




Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Opioid Induced Constipation ADHD Anxiety Asthma Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles All 'How To...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Swine Flu Image

Swine Flu Updates

- Latest Swine Flu News
- What is Swine Flu?
- Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks
- Swine Flu - Top 20 FAQ
- Daily Email News Alerts
Stick with Medical News Today for the latest news updates on swine flu.


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
Senate To Vote On Economic Stimulus Package Today
11 Feb 2009
The Senate on Monday voted 61-36 to end debate on the $838 billion economic stimulus package, which includes tens of billions of dollars for health care and other programs, McClatchy/Arizona Daily Star reports (Lightman...


Diagnosing Vision Problems in Children
Diagnosing Vision Problems in Children

Children with vision problems are often misidentified as having learning disabilities, especially since the kids themselves may not be aware there's a problem with their sight. But parents should look for warning signs of vision trouble.

more videos are available in our health videos section.