HealthGate Articles

The Full Report on Patient Privacy and Confidentiality: 26 Recommendations

In June 2006, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) received recommendations from the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics regarding "Privacy and Confidentiality in the Nationwide Health Information Network."

This is a must-read report for anyone working within healthcare. The report consolidates the testimonial comments from witnesses representing constituencies concerned about the privacy and confidentiality of health information. Participating constituencies included hospitals, providers, payers, medical informatics experts, ethicists, integrated health systems, Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs), and consumer and patient advocacy groups.

To date, HHS has taken no action with respect to the recommendations resulting from the hearings; however, these recommendations are likely to affect future healthcare operations. A summary article entitled, “HHS, GAO criticized over privacy report” can be found in the February online edition of Modern Healthcare. The entire report can be viewed at http://www.ncvhs.hhs.gov/060622lt.htm.