Health IT Roundup: Problems With Privacy, Access To Records Highlighted In News Reports
CNN: "Despite a federal law requiring hospitals and doctors to release medical records to patients who ask for them, patients are reporting they have a hard time accessing" those records and that can lead to serious complications. The article unravels several cases in which obstacles to getting data resulted in serious consequences and ends with a tip sheet for patients hoping to extract their own data from physicians and hospitals (Cohen, 1/14).Modern Healthcare: Some critics believe new federal rules for funding health providers' adoption of electronic medical records don't go far enough to help protect patients' privacy. Deborah Peel, a psychiatrist and patient privacy advocate, said the rule doesn't require physicians to adopt records that can accommodate several key federal laws regarding sharing, moving and releasing health information (Conn, 1/14).
Government Health IT: "Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal filed a lawsuit against Health Net of Connecticut, alleging the company failed to secure patient medical records and financial information prior to a security breach." The suit also says more than 400,000 affected consumers were not notified of the breach appropriately (Monegain, 1/14). This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.