EMS PRO PATIENT RECORDS
Secretary Sebelius Spotlights New Efforts to Empower Patients to Increase Secure Access to Their Health Information
HHS Secretary Kath- leen Sebelius recently proposed new rules that would expand the rights of patients to access their health information through the use of health information technol- ogy (IT). Specifically, the new rules would empower patients and allow them to gain access to test results reports directly from labs. They would ensure that labs covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) pro- vide such information, upon request, directly to patients or their personal representatives.
The announcement came at the kick-off of the first-ever HHS Consumer Health IT Summit, which brought consumers, provid- ers, and the public and
private sectors together to discuss how best to em- power consumers to be partners in their health and care through health IT. “When it comes to health care, information is power. When patients have their lab results, they are more likely to ask the right questions, make better decisions and receive better care,” said Secretary Sebelius. “This Summit offers a unique opportunity for the public and private sectors alike to share strategies to improve consumer access to their health information, while safeguarding the pri- vacy and security of their data,” Sebeliuis added.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), jointly drafted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, proposes to amend the Clinical Laboratory Im- provement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) regula- tions and HIPAA privacy regulations to strengthen patients’ rights to access their own laboratory test result reports. Secretary Sebelius also
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announced the appoint- ment of Leon Rodriguez as the new Director of the Office for Civil Rights. Rodriguez brings his Department of Jus- tice experience to HHS and will be dedicated to ensuring consumers’ health information is kept private and secure. “Consumers need to know that private and secure access to their health information is a given,” stated OCR Di- rector Rodriguez. “The privacy and security of health data will be a top priority for OCR during my tenure,” Rodriguez added.
Secretary Sebelius also unveiled today an inno- vative voluntary Personal Health Record (PHR) Model Privacy Notice, which creates an easy- to-read, standardized template allowing con- sumers to compare and make informed decisions based on their privacy and security policies and data practices about PHR products. The new template is similar to the Nutrition Facts Labels in that it presents certain complex information in a simple way to im- prove transparency and consumer understand-
ing about data practices. By making this Model Privacy Notice available, PHR companies can help build greater trust in PHRs.
Today’s Summit included more than 25 health care stakeholder orga- nizations, representing consumers, large and small practice providers as well as insurers and health IT industry lead- ers, that have pledged to empower consumers by making it easier for them to get secure access to their health information to engage more fully in their health.
“As technology improves more aspects of our daily lives, it makes sense to marry cutting-edge technology with our medical and personal health records so that we can improve both the quality and efficiency of the care that people receive,” said National Coordinator for Health Information Technol- ogy, Farzad Mostashari, M.D., Sc.M. “We are
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