Josh Seidman reports:
The following is a guest post from Eva Powell
, MSW, CPHQ, Diretor, HIT Project, National Partnership for Women & Families
In light of all the discussion about the Economic Recovery Plan and the privacy provisions in the HIT Title, I thought it might be helpful to provide a consumer advocate’s view. The National Partnership for Women & Families leads a coalition of consumer, patient, and labor groups, the Consumer Partnership for eHealth (CPeH). The organizations in this coalition are working to advance HIT adoption, because we know that achieving better coordinated, higher quality health care demands the integration of new technologies into the health care delivery system. Josh’s post earlier today about the Medical Home model is a good example of the potential these new technologies present, especially in terms of engaging patients in their own care. However, we also know that HIT is a tool, and that like any tool, it must be used properly to be most effective. Consumer and patient advocates view the privacy issue as part of the framework required for effective use of HIT. If patients and providers are going to trust the information managed and exchanged in an electronic environment, there have to be clear rules that apply to everyone who has access to the information. At the same time, if those rules are designed in such a way that those who have a legitimate need to access this information are prevented from obtaining it in a timely way, the benefits of electronic exchange of information will never be fully realized.
Read more on IX Center for Information Therapy