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Bipartisan group urges Congress to shield medical data

EHR Connection, October 22, 2007

A bipartisan group of lawmakers and private companies is urging Congress to enact legislation to protect patients' medical records from potential identity theft and abuse, according to an October 18 article in The Washington Times.

The group, which consists of liberal lawmakers such as Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), the conservative Family Research Council, and Microsoft Corporation, says that legislation currently working its way through Congress will make it possible for data-mining companies along with "four million other individuals and entities" to secretly access millions of medical records, according to the article. Supporters of the legislation under current consideration say data collection has "secondary uses," such as allowing healthcare providers to cross-check patient records and to expedite treatment.

"Without strong privacy safeguards, a health [information-technology] database will become an open invitation for identity thieves, fraudsters, extortionists or marketers looking to cash in on our medical histories," says Markey, adding that "tough privacy safeguards" are necessary.

"If you think we've got a problem with identity theft now, just wait," says Dr. Deborah Peel, chair of the Patient Privacy Rights Foundation that is asking Congress to enact legislation to ensure individual privacy protections for medical records. Data-mining companies collect private medical information and sell it to the highest bidder, Peel said, adding that her group's concern was potential discrimination against people who suffer from chronic conditions or who have received mental health treatment.

Click here to read The Washington Times article.

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