subject: Will Your Doctor's New EMR EHR Program Protect Your Identity Information? [print this page] Will Your Doctor's New EMR EHR Program Protect Your Identity Information?
One of the many facets of "Obamacare" is that doctors are being required to select an Electronic Health/Medical Record (EMR/EHR) system for their office, for which they may receive Stimulus funding. These new systems will help doctors streamline their office procedures, electronically prescribe medications, connect to laboratories for immediate results and ultimately help them provide better medical care to all of us. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? However, one major element to consider is that all of that data involves YOU and your very-personal information. Social Security numbers, date of birth, home address, email address , phone numbers, credit card information and in some cases, information about life-threatening illnesses. Patient information is the mother lode of information on which identity thieves thrive!
So why should you be concerned? In this past year, more than four hundred new companies have popped up, in hopes of selling their software to your doctors. Even though the software itself must pass rigorous testing certification by the Drummond Group and CCHIT before it qualifies for Stimulus funding, many of those programs are Internet based!
"What does it matter if my doctor decides to use an Internet-based program vs. one that runs in his office?" One word should say it all...WikiLeaks. In recent weeks the world got a taste of how vulnerable data is as major websites were taken down. Internet connections already have enough stability challenges due to hurricanes, tornados, floods and power outages wherever they may occur. Then there's the question of WHO has access to your information? Has your doctor unknowingly placed your information on remote servers hosted in a country which may not have strict laws concerning patient privacy? What if the company they are relying on gets shut down for illegal business practices or even bankruptcy? Will they be able to recover a usable backup of their data? Even if they could, it might take days or weeks to get that data back into a program they could actually use.
Doctors have a legal obligation to secure patient records. Those obligations are clearly defined under HIPAA (Health Information Portability and Accountability Act). However, many doctors do not realize the vulnerability they place on your data by choosing an EMR system that is Internet based. Although it may be impossible to "WikiLeak-proof" the medical world, your doctor can make many decisions to reduce those threats on your behalf.
"But what can I do?" Take a moment to call your doctor's office today before they make their upcoming decision. Express your concerns about their selection of an EMR / EHR system that might be Internet based. Who knows? You may just have saved your provider thousands and possibly millions of dollars that a hefty lawsuit could cause them. But perhaps more important is that you could be making a major step in protecting the identity of your family and the thousands of patients your doctor sees.
