HHS advisory panel considers patient privacy rules

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Doctors and hospitals that want to exchange patient medical data electronically for treatment purposes may not need additional rules for patients' consent providing certain conditions are met, according to recommendations being considered by a federal advisory committee to the Health and Human Services Department.

On May 19, the Health IT Policy Committee, which advises HHS, reviewed recommendations from its Privacy and Security Workgroup. The policy committee is advising HHS on implementing the health IT provisions of the economic stimulus law. Under that law, HHS will distribute more than $17 billion to doctors and hospitals who buy and meaningfully use electronic health records systems. HHS is considering requirements for meaningful use for 2013 and beyond, including rules for protecting patient privacy during health data exchange. Policies are needed to deal with patient privacy and consent in information exchange, especially with respect to facilitators, or middlemen, the workgroup recommended. Rules should be set for middleman data access, retention and reuse, as well as security requirements.


HHS advisory panel considers patient privacy rules