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DEL.ICIO.USPrivacy and Electronic Medical Records
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is calling on the newly Democratic Congress to pass legislation encouraging the adoption of electronic medical records, a concern near and dear to several Alpharetta-area companies.
Gingrich, in Alpharetta last week to visit a medical practice that uses electronic records, said there are “only details” to sort out before passing the legislation, but one of those details is a big one: privacy.
Democrats may be unlikely to jump on an initiative backed by President Bush and which many groups, including privacy advocates and some physicians groups, say fails to adequately protect patient information.
Bush has called for the universal adoption of personal health records that patients and providers can access from anywhere in the country.
Advocates such as Gingrich point to cost savings, a lower risk of medical errors and increased patient participation in care decisions. At North Fulton Family Medicine, where Gingrich spoke last week, Dr. Thomas Bat said electronic records save him and his colleagues time and money that they can better spend on patient care.
But privacy advocates worry about provisions that would allow use of medical information in health-care studies and questions about the security of information after so many data breaches, such as those that bedeviled Alpharetta’s own ChoicePoint last year.
What can technology companies do to make sure electronic medical records are safe from prying eyes?
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