GLOBALIZATION OF MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION INDUSTRY REQUIRES PROPER RISK ANALYSIS
PRIVACY OF MEDICAL RECORDS A COMPLEX ISSUE
AHIMA says public trust is essential, urges all parties to “strike
a balance”
CHICAGO, April 9—As the nation celebrates National Health Information
Privacy and Security Week (April 11 – 17), the American Health Information
Management Association (AHIMA) urges the federal and state government and healthcare
providers to renew their commitment to safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality
of medical records
Several recent high profile court cases involving legal challenges to access
protected medical records have put the issue of health information privacy
in the national spotlight. Coincidentally, April 14th marks the first anniversary
of the implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPAA) final privacy rule—a federal law designed to protect the
privacy of personally identifiable health information that has been the center
of much debate itself.
“Some say HIPAA goes too far, others say not far enough,” states
Linda Kloss, RHIA, CAE, executive vice president and CEO of AHIMA. “While
HIPAA provides protection for personal health information, the public should
know that it doesn’t mean their information is not shared under any circumstances.”
First, and foremost, this information is used by caregivers to enable safe
and effective care and for appropriate reimbursement for services. Many other
circumstances in which personally identifiable information may be accessed
require patient authorization, statute, or court order. Health information—with
identifiers removed—is used for a variety of vital purposes including
research of new drugs and treatments, public health and healthcare policy.
Taken together, the key is to maintain public trust through the expectation
that such information use is legally justified and for the patient’s
and public good. “The issue is where do you strike a balance? And how
do you manage the process so that it doesn’t go too far?” says
Melanie Brodnik, PhD, RHIA, president, AHIMA. “While they may be technically
legal, blanket requests for access to personal health information by the Justice
Department sets a troubling precedent and creates a public perception that
their information is available for the asking.”
Public trust is essential
as the healthcare industry increasingly invests in new information system technologies
in order to improve the quality of patient
care. “As the nation builds an electronic health information infrastructure
to improve treatment, research, and public health efforts it should be with
the expectation that any personally identifiable information will receive full
privacy, confidentiality, and security protection,” says Brodnik.
All of the recent court cases have made one thing perfectly clear to Kloss. “We
need consistent national standards, such as HIPAA,” she says, adding
that, “HHS has worked hard to provide us with a common national standard
essential for protecting the health information of every American citizen and,
as we mark the one-year anniversary of the privacy rule, we need to keep sight
of the spirit of the law and continue to make it more effective.”
For more information about National Health Information Privacy and Security
Week go to: http://www.ahima.org/hipsweek/index.asp
AHIMA also offers the following resources regarding the privacy and confidentiality
of protected health information:
AHIMA is the national association of health information management (HIM) professionals.
AHIMA's 53,000 members are dedicated to the effective management of personal
health information needed to deliver quality healthcare to the public. For
information about the Association, go to www.ahima.org.
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