Protecting e-patient privacy: new government guidelines
ARS Technica
Although business in the US has made the most of the productivity gains brought about by the IT revolution, the practice of medicine in the US is only now getting to grips with digital records. Electronic health records, it is hoped, will be an integral part of the plan to do something about skyrocketing health costs in the US. However, concerns about the security of medical records remain paramount--as anyone who's had any experience with HIPAA can confirm. To that end, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has announced a number of key principles and a tool kit related to health IT privacy.