Healthcare IT News - January 2009 - (Page 4) Healthcare IT News ■ January 2009 industry news www.HealthcareITNews.com is a breach during the exchange of information. However, technology experts, software providers, policymakers and regional health organization leaders participating in the December NHIN demonstration all agreed privacy concerns would not be a problem going forward. The technology is ready to go, they said. or DURSAs, come through. Most organizations have their own agreements used within their exchanges, but to exchange data outside the RHIO requires a host of lawyers to resolve the untold scenarios that could evolve. Marc Overhage, MD, director of medical informatics at the Regenstrief Institute, one of the organizations participating in the Katherine cauley NHIN demonstration, said he sees the December demonstration as a success despite the privacy holdup. Overhage is also president and CEO of the Indiana Health Information Exchange, with 10 million unique patients and nearly 10,000 doctors. Indiana plans to have its DURSA agreement in place by the end of January. “Everyone who has been involved in this has observed this work takes a long time,” he said. “Literally for us, hundreds of parties have to be comfortable with this agreement.” Social Security to take the lead t he sOCIal seCurIty Admi- nistration announced Dec. 16 it would be the first government agency to use the NHIN. Beginning in early 2009, SSA will receive medical records for some disability applicants electronically through the NHIN gateway. Despite the obstacles, ONC leaders say the NHIN is making progress, and that progress will continue, they add. Ginger Price, NHIN coordinator for the ONC, said her office plans NHIN production, though somewhat limited, in 2009. “The basic bottom line is we’re starting simple. And we’re starting with the ready, the willing, the motivated and we’re starting now,” she told attendees at the forum. “As people get ready to come on board, we’ll bring them on.” NHIN Continued from page 1 The Office of the National Coordinator, or ONC, held its second demonstration of interoperability Dec. 15-16 at the Fifth Annual National Health Information Network Forum in the nation’s capital. Holding up progress on building the network of networks, officials say, is the finalization of social agreements – how to protect information, and who is liable if there it’s aLL about the dursas It’s only a matter of time until data use and sharing agreements, Leavitt on privacy As if on cue, with just 36 days left in his tenure, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt released a privacy policy at the forum on Dec. 16. It focuses on aspects of patient rights, safeguarding of data and HIPAA. HHS also released a toolbox to help organizations write DURSA agreements. “Finding the balance between increased access to information and privacy is very important,” Leavitt said. “If we don’t have it, we won’t succeed.” banking on Leadership At Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, Katherine Cauley, director of the Center for Healthy Communities, a participant in the NHIN cooperative, said her exchange is typical of most community RHIOs in the country. Many people – especially doctors – are wary of costs and initial disruption to workflow. “Nobody wants to change how they do things. Everybody is worried about legal issues,” Cauley said. “Everybody wants data, but nobody wants to go through the processes involved.” Cauley believes federal leadership will be the key to moving things forward. standards are key “In my opinion it all falls to the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel. That’s where the rubber meets the road,” said Jason Colquitt, director of research and outcomes at Greenway Medical Technologies. “Many of the standards are already in place, but getting standards as robust as they need to be is the challenge.” ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: NHiN 0109 ● e ● Connect: eNovateit 0109 http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.enovateit.com http://www.enovateit.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/slow-privacy-issues-dog-progress-nhin http://www.enovateit.com
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