HITECH's Impact on Health Information Exchanges: Key Decision Points for Privacy and Security

Author:

Jared Rhoads

Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) enable authorized caregivers, patients, public health authorities, and other providers to share electronic patient health information across different settings and geographical areas. With the ability to send and request health information, an authorized physician can access a patient's medical history and obtain a list of current medications, known allergies, and other vital information, regardless of where it was originally recorded.

These powerful capabilities, however, must be made secure and confidential in order to win the trust and consent of patients. To address these areas, organizations need to: 1) determine which data to share and how to share them, 2) develop practices to manage authorized access, 3) adopt policies and practices to prevent unauthorized access, 4) gain consent from patients, and 5) be prepared to address breaches.

In this white paper, Jared Rhoads of CSC's Emerging Practices group identifies key decision points related to HIE privacy and security, and discusses the impact of relevant provisions and requirements contained in the HITECH Act. This research includes examples of best practices from HIEs in both the United States and Europe.

Download "HITECH's Impact on HIEs" (PDF, 142KB)

For more information, please contact us.