Meeting Meaningful Use Demands a Strong Privacy and Security Framework- Are You Ready?

by Carol Selvey

As 2010 begins, attention is on the release of the proposed rule on meaningful use, but it is clear that questions about how to maintain privacy and security of protected health information (PHI) are looming and will need to be addressed in the months ahead. As stated in preliminary reports, the fifth outcomes policy priority for meaningful use is “to ensure adequate privacy and security protections for personal health information.” Both patients and providers express concerns that could potentially greatly hinder the progress of electronic health records and health information exchange adoption.

Virtually every day there is news about a new privacy breach or casual conversation reveals that friends distrust the safety of their personal health data if it is available online. Providers’ ambivalence was underscored by the recent studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association: on the one hand, they recognize the potential benefits of improved efficiency, quality of care and reduction of cost, but they are concerned about the potential for privacy breaches. In fact, some mental health providers indicated that they may be less apt to record highly confidential information in electronic records than they would on paper.

Whether automated or paper-based, privacy and security protection need to be part of the cultural and ethical framework. As healthcare data become more and more available in digital form, healthcare, like all automated industries, needs to take appropriate measures to ensure cyber-security, business continuity and risk management.

Iatric Systems has developed relationships with several organizations that offer services to help our customers reinforce and strengthen their privacy and security frameworks. On January 19, Transcendent Group will provide a complimentary webinar on how to build a comprehensive security risk assessment into your overall security plan (register for this webinar). This is the first in a series of sessions to ensure that your organization is doing what it can to keep patient data safe and secure.

For more about the meaningful use package, read the Healthcare IT News article:  CMS, ONC deliver meaningful use package. What do you think about this package?