Medical records in the digital age

by
in security on (#3PD)
story imageThe medical field isn't exactly embracing the digital revolution, although it's quick to implement scientific progress in other areas. Trapped in a mess of legal, privacy, and insurance regulations and hampered by financial disincentives to implement digital record keeping, many medical centers still rely on voluminous paper records. But that's changing, and with change comes good news and bad.

First come the breaches of privacy. In Cincinnati, a woman is suing the University of Cincinatti Medical Center after a medical clerk posted the woman's medical records (showing name and diagnosis of syphilis) to Facebook's page "Team No Hoes." Privacy is also compromised when medical records become part of court hearings, as many legal cases become part of public record and are searchable online.

But these risks were part of the paper system as well. Recently, a huge number of paper medical records turned up in York, UK, and Michael Schumacher's paper records seem to have been stolen and put up for sale.

So what do we need to keep sensitive, personal, medical information private? Think quickly, because already some doctors can access your medical records via Google Glass as they talk to you.

HIPPA is too much **and** too little (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-06-26 02:49 (#299)

HIPPA blocks access by people who should have it, and it allows access by those who shouldn't.

I don't want my insurer to have any details, and I certainly don't want their "contractors" and "authorized agents" to have any info at all.

Pretty much any doctor will have you waive your rights anyway. No waiver means no service. This shouldn't be possible.

On the other hand, some things need to be made known. Medical bills need to be made available to anybody you have financial entanglements with. This includes all people with whom you might share a budget in the recent past or future. Contageos (WTF spelling...) diseases should require notification of any and all who might have received or supplied the disease. People living in the same house, or intending to do so (marriage license) ought to get everything, without exception.

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