Privacy Experts’ Roundtable Report Will Highlight Privacy & Security Week

CHICAGO, April 9, 2008—A new report that features four leading experts in health information management in an extended roundtable discussion on key issues related to the privacy and security of health information—and ways in which the industry may best address those issues—is now available.

“Online, on Message, on Duty: Privacy Experts Share Their Challenges” is the report that will be released in conjunction with the American Health Information Management Association’s 5th annual Health Information Privacy and Security Week (April 13-19) established to raise public and professional awareness of issues related to the privacy and security of patient health information.

The roundtable discussion offers myriad insights on the entire range of related issues with four common themes emerging from the fast-paced discussion:

1. It is essential for the HIM industry to better educate health professionals on how to prevent breaches of the privacy of health information.
2. It is imperative that healthcare privacy officers work continually to resolve challenges such as differing federal and state laws and emerging issues, including medical identity theft.
3. Communication and collaboration are essential elements in making sure an organization’s privacy and security functions operate effectively in sync.
4. Preparation, combined with a proactive approach, are strong recommendations given CMS’s development of a program to investigate breach allegations.

Educating healthcare professionals on privacy and security issues is an ongoing concern within the health information industry. “There needs to be more education about good privacy practices and appropriate interpretation of HIPAA and other regulations,” said AHIMA President Wendy Mangin, director of medical records and privacy officer at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Indiana.

The necessity to educate and inform healthcare professionals, their employers, the media, and healthcare consumers on the importance of privacy protection, confidentiality and security of personal health records will be spotlighted during this year’s Health Information Privacy and Security Week under this year’s theme, “Confidential Is Essential—Protect Health Information.”

“This is an awareness event that serves as a positive reminder of the importance every healthcare professional must place on this crucial ingredient to good medicine,” Mangin said.  “We need to remember that consumer rights are detailed in the Notice of Privacy Practices that each provider or health plan is required to share with consumers at the point of service or upon request,” she said.

For more details and information on consumer privacy rights, visit myPHR.com

About AHIMA

AHIMA is the leading professional Association representing more than 53,000 specially educated and certified health information management professionals working throughout the healthcare industry.  HIM professionals serve healthcare and the public by managing, analyzing, and utilizing data vital for health system management. www.ahima.org