Patients' medical records go online without consent, page 1
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ATS Members have flagged this thread 3 times
Topic started on 10-3-2010 @ 01:05 AM by dolphinfan

Patients' medical records go online without consent


www.telegraph.co.uk
Those who do not wish to have their details on the £11 billion computer system are supposed to be able to opt out by informing health authorities.

But doctors have accused the Government of rushing the project through, meaning that patients have had their details uploaded to the database before they have had a chance to object.

The British Medical Association claims that records have been placed on the system without patients’ knowledge or consent.
(visit the link for the full news article)


reply posted on 10-3-2010 @ 02:04 AM by dolphinfan
reply to post by Ecidemon


The HIPPA rules are essentially guidelines that an entity will implement effective safeguards over the storage, retention and distribution of private medical information. There are no specifically outlined control mechanisms with respect to HIPPA. An organization only needs to be able to articulate to a regulatory authority that such controls have been designed and implemented. Should there be an unwarranted release of information and the organization be called into question, they only need to again, articulate that they have controls in place and then as a remedial action will agree to an internal review of those controls.

The problems here are manifest.

Data entry from a doctor's chart into a database is rife with errors. The business about a doctors handwriting notwithstanding, the fact remains that in the current model where folks are already over worked the probability for error is significant. Doctors will often write notes on the input forms that they use. Writing like "Depressed" or "Anxious" on the form could easily wind up in a form that indicates the person suffers from depression or anxiety disorder. Now when it is just within that doctor's office, not a big problem when it is on-line, big problem.

There is no segregation of duties with respect to these records. In other words, there is nobody checking the data and validating it once it has been implemented. Better controls exist regarding financial transactions than do regarding medical records by a long shot.

Information systems are complex and fluid. I can tell you that other than cursory regression testing, the security of this data is not validated to the extent that folks who sign the HIPPA document think it is. To do the required level of testing would require testing all of the internal controls each time a fundamental change was made to the infrastructure. That is not going to happen and the costs would be enormous, hence it won't happen.

I have no problem with folks having their records on any system should they desire them to be on that system. I have a big problem with no opt-in clause regarding that information being placed on any system.
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