Last week, the World Health Organization held an in-person meeting of its health data collaborative leadership, its first face-to-face meeting of this group in four years. WPF attended as a constituency co-chair. Attendees included: members of the Ministries of Health and partner representation from Kenya, Malawi, Cameroon, Botswana, and Nepal; ...
This video is part 9 of a 14-part video series on health privacy and health information exchanges Video: Now that I know about health information exchanges, how do I know if my doctor or hospital is sharing my information? Not all health files are automatically exchanged in HIEs. To find ...
This video is part 8 of a 14-part video series on health privacy and health information exchanges Video: I just read the privacy policy at the doctor's office, and it said that I would have to opt out of an HIE. What does that mean exactly? Opt in and opt ...
This week the New York Times reported that some California members of health insurer Anthem Blue Cross received disturbing emails with exposed subject lines related to their sensitive medical information. From the article: " But the emails’ subject lines included member-specific demographic details like age range and language. They also ...
You can certainly ask to have your records deleted, but it may not be that easy. After a health record has been created and exchanged via an HIE, how your record is managed in that HIE is going to vary considerably. But generally speaking, it is rare for any health care provider to outright delete a health file.
HIE stands for “Health Information Exchange.” We encourage all patients to request a copy of their medical records to check for errors, whether in paper or digital format. Begin any process of HIE discovery with your health care provider. It will likely be your health care providers who are able to let you know if your records have been exchanged, and if so, where.
Medical identity theft happens when another person uses your identity to acquire medical goods or services. The problem is that when this occurs, the imposter's medical treatment gets put into your medical files. If your imposter has a different medical condition than you do, then your medical file can contain errors. It is important to correct errors in your medical file that occur as a result of medical identity theft. One of the potential challenges with exchanging your medical records in a health information exchange is that if medical identity theft happens, the erroneous file can be spread far afield through the HIE. Here's how to begin approaching the challenges.
HIE stands for “Health Information Exchange.” We encourage all patients to request a copy of their medical records and check for errors, whether on paper or digital. If you have received a copy of your medical record from your doctor and you find mistakes or errors, it is a good idea to correct those files as soon as possible with that health care provider. It's also important to see if incorrect information has been circulated into a Health Information Exchange, and get it corrected there as well. See more ….
This video is part 3 of a 14-part WPF video series on health privacy and health information exchanges. Many patients may be surprised to learn that a health care provider does not need your permission to share your medical information for treatment purposes within an HIE, just as a doctor does not need permission to send your records via fax to another doctor for treatment purposes. This is true even if your health record is going to a doctor you have never met before. See more ….
This video is part 2 of a 14-part WPF video series on health privacy and health information exchanges. Doctors have been using fax machines to send and exchange patient records for years. We know that an HIE allows medical records to be shared electronically between health care providers. But how does an HIE differ — really — from faxes? What changes, beyond the obvious?
WPF Video Series: Health Information Exchanges and Your Privacy, video 1. HIE stands for "Health Information Exchange." An HIE allows medical records to be shared electronically between health care providers. Watch video ….
Health Information Exchanges are in the news right now. Here is a quick list of our HIE information for consumers: See WPF's HIE Category Page for privacy tips and resources all in one place WPF has a FAQ sheet on Health Information Exchanges for consumers here. WPF also has a ...
Today, health insurers Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross announced the creation of a statewide database of patient medical records in California called Cal INDEX. When it launches later this year, it will be the country's largest health information exchange, or HIE. The exchange is set to disseminate ...
WPF's new interactive map identifies Health Information Exchanges in California. A Health Information Exchange, or HIE, is technology that enables the electronic movement of health-related information among health care providers and others. HIEs are an increasingly popular way for hospitals, pharmacies, labs, and emergency room physicians to share patient information. HIEs can exchange records across one hospital, across multiple hospitals in a region, or across a whole state. If your health information is being shared through an HIE, your lab test results, medications, medical history, or other clinical information related to your health care may be included in the sharing. See more about HIEs and our California HIE Map here.
July 15, 2013 New Consumer Tipsheets, FAQ, and Glossary about Health Information Exchanges Patients have a new resource that simplifies the clutter and confusion around Health Information Exchanges. WPF has published a new HIE Tipsheet and FAQ. These resources are written for consumers, and delivers bite-sized, digestible information about the ...
This FAQ, glossary, and tipsheet about Health Information Exchanges is designed to work in tandem with our HIE map and directory of California HIEs, available here. If you have questions about HIPAA beyond those answered here, please see our extensive resource, A Patient's Guide to HIPAA.
The World Privacy Forum today filed its comments on the proposed changes to the HIPAA privacy rule, supporting some proposed changes and suggesting additional changes to enhance patient choice. In particular, the WPF supports the new patient right to an access report that has been added (p. 4), and has requested that Health Information Exchanges also be required to provide accountings of disclosures to patients (p. 18). The WPF generally argued that HHS needs to look forward and allow changes in information technology to fully benefit patients by providing the facility for more accounting rather than less (pp. 2-3). If the HIPAA rule gives patients a greater ability to monitor how their information is used and disclosed, patients will pay attention and requests for accounting of disclosures will become more common.
Joint Comments on HIEs -- California has proposed regulations for health information exchange projects in the state. WPF has submitted comments encouraging more privacy protections, and we are joined in our comments by Privacy Activism and the Center for Digital Democracy. One key request in the comments is that California not allow patient consent to be waived in HIE projects. We are also requesting that California create a unified web listing of its HIE projects for increased transparency and to facilitate patient access to HIE information and policies.
California has proposed regulations for health information exchange projects in the state. WPF has submitted comments encouraging more privacy protections, and we are joined in our comments by Privacy Activism and the Center for Digital Democracy. One key request in the comments is that California not allow patient consent to be waived in HIE projects. We are also requesting that California create a unified web listing of its HIE projects for increased transparency and to facilitate patient access to HIE information and policies.
Data brokers -- WPF will be speaking at the CFP conference on two panels. On June 15, Pam Dixon will participate in a plenary session on data brokers. On June 16, Dixon will moderate a health care privacy panel. This panel will focus on electronic health care in the state of California and the current privacy issues in electronic health exchange.
Announcement | CalPSAB -- WPF executive director Pam Dixon has been appointed by California Secretary of Health and Human Services Kim Belshe to the California Security and Privacy Advisory Board. Dixon will serve as interim co-chair of the board, which is tasked with addressing health information exchange (HIE) privacy and security efforts in California. The board's meetings will be open to the public.
AHIC - National Health Information Network -- The American Health Information Community Workgroup on Confidentiality, Privacy and Security requested public feedback regarding its working hypothesis. WPF responded to the request with public comments encouraging the adoption of a unified policy architecture and encouraging AHIC to focus on enforcement mechanisms that are intended to directly benefit consumers. WPF also encouraged AHIC to look comprehensively at the demands a new national electronic health exchange network will make on privacy in the health care sector.
The World Privacy Forum has been particularly interested in developments related to EHRs and the NHIN. Given the impetus of the 2004 Executive Order [1] mandating forward movement in these areas, and the broad impact digitized medical records will potentially have on patients and on the healthcare sector, the World Privacy Forum believes that the decisions this Committee and others shaping these efforts arrive at will be of lasting importance. Given the transition of many parts of our society from analog to digital, it is crucial to ask what this digitization will look like and to carefully examine and discuss what form EHRs and related systems should take in regards to patient choice, privacy, and security.
