Lawmakers stress privacy to build patient confidence in health systems. Hoping to bridge the gap between the call for national IT health care
systems and privacy concerns, two lawmakers are promoting new legislation that
would mandate user opt-in programs, encryption and breach notification.
The Technologies for Restoring Users' Security and Trust (TRUST) in Health
Information Act (H.R. 5442) would establish a public-private partnership to
recommend health IT standards and criteria for exchanging electronic data and
to encourage the creation of a nationwide interoperable health information
technology infrastructure.
"The spread of health IT holds tremendous promise for improving patient
care, reducing medical errors and lowering costs," U.S. Rep. Ed Markey,
who introduced the bill along with Rep. Rahm Emanuel on Feb. 14, said in a
statement. "But this dream could quickly turn into a nightmare for
consumers without sufficient privacy and security safeguards to protect
personal medical records from unauthorized access."
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According to the legislation, consumers would be able to keep their medical
records out of health IT systems unless they first give their consent. It also
requires that patients be notified in the event of a system breach and to be
informed what records were potentially exposed in the breach.
In addition, the bill authorizes grant funding for the purchase or upgrade
of health IT systems in addition to requiring security safeguards.
"As medical records and patient histories become electronic, phrases
like 'security,' 'privacy' and 'access' should become just as important as
'take two of these and call me in the morning.'" Emanuel said.
Microsoft, which rolled out a software and services platform last October
aimed at connecting physicians, patients and their records across a unified
platform, was quick to praise the legislation.
"It represents an important step in strengthening the safety of
consumers' health information and we support the bill's goals of ensuring
personal privacy, security and confidentiality with respect to health related
information," Frank Torres, Microsoft's director of consumer affairs, said
in a statement.
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