[Med-privacy] release

peter marshall pwm@comcast.net
Tue, 4 Aug 2009 11:10:21 -0700 

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August 3, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Deborah C. Peel, MD
Patient Privacy Rights
(512) 732-0033 or (512) 820-6415
dpeelmd@patientprivacyrights.org
www.patientprivacyrights.org/Coalition


Coalition stresses message for Committee:

Privacy must drive HIT Policy

The Coalition for Patient Privacy has serious concerns regarding the =20
Health Information Technology Policy Committee=92s lack of attention to =20=

Americans=92 rights to control sensitive electronic health information. =20=

The Committee plans to delay acting on key privacy protections until =20
2015; the Coalition believes it is essential to make privacy lead =20
engine of Health IT.

The broad-based Coalition, representing millions of Americans, is the =20=

leading voice for all who want to protect patient privacy and =20
encourage adoption of Health IT. The Coalition submitted asecond set =20
of comments to the Committee today which recommends putting patient =20
privacy first.

Our chief concern is the need to establish meaningful and =20
comprehensive policies and standards that ensure patient control over =20=

protected health information now vs. 2015.

=93Patients need an effective seat at this table. At the end of the day, =
=20
it is the patient, and only the patient, who can opt to share his/her =20=

personal information with a provider; and it is only the patient who =20
must be assured electronic health record systems can be trusted,=94 said =
=20
Dr. Deborah Peel, Founder of Patient Privacy Rights.

The Coalition=92s concerns include the following issues:
The public does not have access to proposals and documents in advance =20=

of meetings; recommendations are approved without any public comment =20
or input. The Coalition believes that Congress intended for the public =20=

to be meaningfully included in the process and to be heard before =20
votes are taken or final decisions are made.
The Committee voted to delay developing policy on consent management =20
systems and segmentation of sensitive records until 2015.
Putting the policies and standards needed to ensure consumer trust and =20=

participation in HIT systems as the caboose sets the stage for =20
potentially expending the stimulus billions on existing technologies =20
that eliminate our privacy rights. The public comments did not include =20=

the Coalition=92s recommendations for extending the use of existing =20
federal policies and standards for the privacy and control over =20
sensitive mental health and addiction records to all personal health =20
information.
The current technology has been in used for eight years to exchange =20
successfully health records with informed consent while allowing over =20=

4 million patients to segment the sensitive parts of their records =20
electronically. These policies and systems are trusted, effective, and =20=

have the advantage of not preempting the strong privacy protections in =20=

state laws, which necessitate the ability to segment sensitive records.
You can view a pdf of the Coalition's comments to the Committee here.

###





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style=3D"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; =
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align=3D"center">&nbsp;</div></td></tr><tr style=3D"font-family: Arial, =
Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); =
line-height: 12px; "><td style=3D"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, =
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"><tbody><tr style=3D"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; =
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style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: =
13px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 15px; text-align: left; ">August =
3, 2009</td></tr></tbody></table><table style=3D"font-family: Arial, =
Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); =
line-height: 12px; "><tbody><tr style=3D"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, =
sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 12px; =
"><td style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; =
font-size: 13px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 15px; text-align: =
left; ">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br><br>CONTACT:<br>Deborah C. Peel, =
MD<br>Patient Privacy Rights<br>(512) 732-0033 or (512) 820-6415<br><a =
title=3D"E-mail dpeelmd@patientprivacyrights.org" =
href=3D"mailto:dpeelmd@patientprivacyrights.org" style=3D"color: blue; =
">dpeelmd@patientprivacyrights.org</a><br><a =
href=3D"http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/site/R?i=3Df3JqODXsv-HikszKopk=
vxg.." style=3D"color: blue; =
">www.patientprivacyrights.org/Coalition</a><br><br></td></tr></tbody></ta=
ble><br><table align=3D"center" style=3D"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, =
sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 12px; =
"><tbody><tr style=3D"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; =
font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 12px; "><td =
style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: =
16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 18px; text-align: center; =
"><strong>Coalition stresses message for Committee:<br><br>Privacy must =
drive HIT Policy<span =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></strong><br></td></tr></tbod=
y></table><table style=3D"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; =
font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 12px; position: =
static; z-index: auto; "><tbody><tr style=3D"font-family: Arial, =
Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); =
line-height: 12px; "><td style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, =
Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); =
line-height: 15px; text-align: left; "><br>The Coalition for Patient =
Privacy has serious concerns regarding the Health Information Technology =
Policy Committee=92s lack of attention to Americans=92 rights to control =
sensitive electronic health information. The Committee plans to delay =
acting on key privacy protections until 2015; the Coalition believes it =
is essential to make privacy lead engine of Health IT.<br><br>The =
broad-based Coalition, representing millions of Americans, is the =
leading voice for all who want to protect patient privacy and encourage =
adoption of Health IT. The Coalition submitted a<a =
href=3D"http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/site/R?i=3D8mOHGVIG2umu4DWBIil=
T6w.." style=3D"color: blue; ">second set of comments to the =
Committee</a><span class=3D"Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>today =
which recommends putting patient privacy first.<br><br>Our chief concern =
is the need to establish meaningful and comprehensive policies and =
standards that ensure patient control over protected health information =
now vs. 2015.<br><br>=93Patients need an effective seat at this table. =
At the end of the day, it is the patient, and only the patient, who can =
opt to share his/her personal information with a provider; and it is =
only the patient who must be assured electronic health record systems =
can be trusted,=94 said Dr. Deborah Peel, Founder of Patient Privacy =
Rights.<br><br>The Coalition=92s concerns include the following =
issues:<ul style=3D"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; =
font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 12px; "><li =
style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: =
13px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 15px; text-align: left; ">The =
public does not have access to proposals and documents in advance of =
meetings; recommendations are approved without any public comment or =
input. The Coalition believes that Congress intended for the public to =
be meaningfully included in the process and to be heard before votes are =
taken or final decisions are made.</li><li style=3D"font-family: =
Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(0, 0, =
0); line-height: 15px; text-align: left; ">The Committee voted to delay =
developing policy on consent management systems and segmentation of =
sensitive records until 2015.</li><li style=3D"font-family: Verdana, =
Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); =
line-height: 15px; text-align: left; ">Putting the policies and =
standards needed to ensure consumer trust and participation in HIT =
systems as the caboose sets the stage for potentially expending the =
stimulus billions on existing technologies that eliminate our privacy =
rights. The public comments did not include the Coalition=92s =
recommendations for extending the use of existing federal policies and =
standards for the privacy and control over sensitive mental health and =
addiction records to all personal health information.</li><li =
style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: =
13px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 15px; text-align: left; ">The =
current technology has been in used for eight years to exchange =
successfully health records with informed consent while allowing over 4 =
million patients to segment the sensitive parts of their records =
electronically. These policies and systems are trusted, effective, and =
have the advantage of not preempting the strong privacy protections in =
state laws, which necessitate the ability to segment sensitive =
records.</li></ul><p style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, =
sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 15px; =
text-align: left; ">You can view a pdf of the Coalition's comments to =
the Committee<span class=3D"Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><a =
href=3D"http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/site/R?i=3DCNopjnT_HnarA1V1pL-=
7ug.." style=3D"color: blue; =
">here</a>.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><table align=3D"center" =
style=3D"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; =
color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 12px; "><tbody><tr style=3D"font-family:=
 Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); =
line-height: 12px; "><td style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, =
Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); =
line-height: 15px; text-align: center; =
">###</td></tr></tbody></table><img =
src=3D"http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/site/PixelServer?j=3D9Vxli6k4IB=
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"><br></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></span=
></div><br></body></html>=

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