George Lauer, iHealthBeat Features Editor writes: Patient privacy advocates were busy last week, lobbying for and getting new privacy provisions in the stalled Wired for Health Care Quality Act, authored by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and 15 other lawmakers. Expected to be introduced in new legislation as early as this month, the process may become…
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California Insurance Commission: Personal Health Records: A Helpful Tool for A Healthier You
From their report [pdf]: Executive Summary: A Personal Health Record (PHR) is an evolving consumer tool for health record-keeping that is available to many members of California insurers or Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). Different from Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) which aggregate detailed clinical information, PHRs generally operate like a “calendar of medical events†and…
UF Doctor Quits After Putting Medical Records at Risk (update)
As a follow-up to a story we reported here: The private health information of 1900 local patients may have been compromised when a Jacksonville doctor gave his computer away. Dr. Francis D. Ong resigned from his position as a University of Florida assistant professor of plastic surgery at the College of Medicine-Jacksonville. UF privacy officials…
Google defends privacy policy after Google Health launch
Richard Thurston reports in SC Magazine: Google has defended its privacy policy following the launch of a service which offers to manage users’ medical information online. Google yesterday launched Google Health, a hosted service which allows users to store and manage information regarding their health online, and share that information with nominated individuals. Privacy campaigners…
Aetna chief downplays Google Health's potential
Chris Kanaracus of IDG News Service reports: A top medical insurance executive on Wednesday downplayed the potential impact of services from Microsoft and Google that are aimed at helping users store and share their health records with providers. Google Health went into beta on Monday. It follows the launch of similar efforts, such as Microsoft’s…
CT: ID information stolen from Saint Mary's Hospital
Marc Silvistrini of the Republican-American reports: A former Saint Mary’s Hospital employee has been charged by police in the theft of names and social security numbers of a half dozen patients, a hospital official and state police said Tuesday. State police told the hospital the thefts were confined to the Endoscopy Department and affect the…