Panel Focuses On Health IT Security (updated with additional link)

The question of how patients and healthcare providers can prove their identities online was examined Thursday at a meeting of the Nationwide Health Information Network working group, which is focused on examining how health information can be transmitted securely over the Internet. The working group is part of the Health Information Technology Policy Committee, which was mandated by last year's economic stimulus package. Panelists probed such questions as what standards should govern authentication and what variables--such as the kind of information being exchanged--should impact how standards are applied. The forum also examined how to ensure the interoperability of authentication practices between organizations and providers.