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The security and privacy of health data

September 28th, 2009
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The security and privacy aspect of EHR is defined as part of PHI (Protected Health Information), and is based on HIPPA.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996.
PHI is defined as any information concerning health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to an individual.
The EHR security and privacy has to cover anything from accuracy and disposal of information and hardware hosting such data to encryption for storage and exchange of data over the wire.
ON Sep. 16th the Federal panel approved EHR security, privacy standards.
The committee clarified requirements that EHR systems must meet so both vendors and healthcare providers could use a number of access controls in their electronic health record systems and practices by 2011.
The standards under discussion cover access control, authentication, authorization and transmission of health data.
According to the panel in 2013 EHRs would have to meet additional standards to further tighten security, including Health Level 7 Role-based Access Control (BRAC), Security Assertion Mark-up Language (SAML) and WS-Trust, the name of an OASIS standard to construct secure messages.
In addition HIPPA allow patients the right to review the content of their medical records and gives individuals the right to request correction of any inaccurate PHI.
For example, an individual can ask to be called at his or her work number, instead of home or cell phone number.
PHI is an important part of EHR that concerns Patients and Physicians the most.
I will cover this topic in detail as the standards progress.

The security and privacy aspect of EHR is covered in context of PHI (Protected Health Information) and is based on HIPPA.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996.

PHI is defined as any information concerning health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to an individual.

The EHR security and privacy has to cover anything from accuracy and disposal of information and hardware hosting such data to encryption for storage and exchange of data over the wire.

ON Sep. 16th the Federal panel approved EHR security, privacy standards.

The committee clarified requirements that EHR systems must meet so both vendors and healthcare providers could use a number of access controls in their electronic health record systems and practices by 2011.

The standards under discussion cover access control, authentication, authorization and transmission of health data.

According to the panel in 2013 EHRs would have to meet additional standards to further tighten security, including Health Level 7 Role-based Access Control (BRAC), Security Assertion Mark-up Language (SAML) and WS-Trust, the name of an OASIS standard to construct secure messages.

In addition HIPPA allow patients the right to review the content of their medical records and gives individuals the right to request correction of any inaccurate PHI.

For example, an individual can ask to be called at his or her work number, instead of home or cell phone number.

PHI is an important part of EHR that concerns Patients and Physicians the most.

I will cover this topic in detail as the standards progress.

Technology

More standardization on E-Prescription

August 31st, 2009
2 comments

NCPDP just updated SCRIPT 10.6 Standard, the latest XML based technical standard recommended by federal regulators as part of EHR incentive program.

 
More info on SCRIPT 10.6 can be found here:
 
 
 
Surescripts already announced plans to adopt the new standard.
 
They operates the country’s largest electronic prescribing network. According to Surescripts the network is used by over 140,000 physicians, pharmacists and payers to electronically process prescriptions and share prescription information. Participants on the Surescripts network include all of the nation’s major chain pharmacies (e.g. CVS/pharmacy, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Wal-Mart), many of the nation’s leading payers and PBMs (e.g. Aetna, CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, Medco, Wellpoint) and over 10,000 independent pharmacies nationwide.
 
 

General, Technology, Vendors ,

Health Level 7 Role Based Access Control (RBAC)

August 18th, 2009
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Health Level 7 or HL7 is an international community of healthcare subject matter experts and information scientists collaborating to create standards for the exchange, management and integration of electronic healthcare information.

HL7 covers details about Roel Based access Control to Health data and clinical information on a “need-to-know” basis is as a key requirement
It also emphasizes on need to provide methods where access can be checked and authorised before access is granted
Another important element of RBAC is up-to-date and accurate directories of staff.

Among others HL7 covers details about Role Based Access Control to Health data and clinical information on a “need-to-know” basis as a key requirement.

It also emphasizes on need to provide methods where access can be checked and authorized before access is granted. Furthermore RBAC requires an up-to-date and accurate directories of staff.

Technology

Stimulus Package Includes Changes to HIPAA Rules

March 24th, 2009
1 comment

 According to new legislation, physicians now will be required to track any disclosure of a patient’s medical information. Previous regulations allowed physicians to disclose patient information for the purpose of treatment, payment or health care operations, but they were not required to track when that information was disclosed. 

 
However, this should be easy to manage for physicians who use an electronic health record as hopefully EHR vendors will provide such a functionality out-of-the-box to track every time patient information is disclosed.
 
In addition, the legislation requires practices to post information about security breaches if a breach affects 10 or more patients and must notify all of their patients, a local media outlet, and the HHS secretary if the breach affects 500 or more patients.
 

General, Technology ,