Thursday, April 17, 2008

Online Storage of Your Health Records

Two leading researchers warn of the entry of Microsoft and Google into the field of personal health records could impact the practice of clinical research and the privacy of patient records.

Currently, most patient records are stored within the health system in doctors’ offices, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacy. There are strict federal regulations that govern how health records can be shared among institutions and insurers as well as how personal information can be used for medical research. Today, researchers have no access to individual patients’ identities. In addition, individuals can request our own health records but it's a painful process since most of us see more than one doctor so our information is scattered.

Microsoft and Google have recently begun offering Web-based personal health records, moving towards more individual control over our health records. Consumers will tell physicians, hospitals and other providers what information to send into their personal records, and it is the consumer who decides with whom to share that information and under what terms. What worries these researchers is that Microsoft and Google not bound by the privacy restrictions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or Hipaa, the main law that regulates personal data handling and patient privacy. Since Microsoft and Google do not have to comply with these laws , health records online could be victim to all kinds of marketing and false advertising.

There needs to be some safeguards in place between the government and Microsoft and Google. Do you really want to be spammed by dozens of pharmaceutical companies because you have _______? (You fill in the blank.)

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/business/17record.html?ref=technology

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