Privacy
HITE CT considering scaling back to secure messaging, easing privacy concerns
CT’s quasi-public entity charged with building a health information exchange for the state is considering scaling back from an overly ambitious agenda to focus on more feasible goals. At HITE-CT’s May meeting, the Board discussed focusing on secure messaging for now. As secure messaging essentially replaces the current FAXes of health information shared between individual…
Read MoreHIT privacy bill watered significantly down
Last week the Public Health Committee made significant changes to SB 368, originally designed to protect consumers’ private health information. The bill would have required HITE CT, our state’s developing health information exchange, to get patient consent before sharing any medical records on the exchange. Termed opt-in, this privacy policy has been adopted by all…
Read MoreHIT privacy bill heard in Public Health Committee
An important bill, SB 368, had a public hearing Friday in the Public Health Committee. The bill would require HITE CT, our state’s developing health information exchange, to get patient consent before sharing any medical records on the exchange. Termed opt-in, this privacy policy has been adopted by all our surrounding states and is working…
Read MoreDSS medication clients’ information released in error
In supporting information regarding a bill, DSS sent OPM information on up to 8,500 clients who receive medications from DSS. The information, with client numbers but no names or Social Security numbers, was then sent to legislators, legislative staff, and organizations involved in administering medications to DSS clients. The client numbers should not have been…
Read MoreFirst HIT privacy committee meeting
The HITE-CT privacy committee held its first meeting last week. While mainly organizational, the consensus of the group was that developing a patient consent model – opt-in vs. opt-out – was foundational to our work. Most other policies flow from that decision. Efforts to limit discussion to just tracking federal privacy issues were considered but…
Read MoreHealth IT privacy meeting
The first meeting of the HITE-CT privacy committee will be January 11th from 12:30 to 2pm at the LOB. This committee was created in response to legislative proposals to ensure consumers agree to protect their private health information on CT’s new electronic health information exchange. HITE-CT is the quasi-public entity federally funded to create an…
Read MoreComments on federal ACO proposal, Changing Face of Medicaid
CMS has issued the proposed rule under national health reform to implement Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) for Medicare beneficiaries. ACOs are a new way of paying for health care, moving away from fee-for-service to paying for value. An ACO is a network of health care providers spanning the care spectrum paid to provide for all…
Read MoreHealth IT privacy consent webinar
Slides and video of yesterday’s webinar on patient privacy protection in health information exchange are online. The webinar included Ted Kremer of the Rochester RHIO and Steve Allen of Steve of Western NY Health e Net. Both RHIOs, like the rest of all New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts exchanges operate on an opt-in privacy…
Read MoreNews Round up
Public hearings for rate increases approved by Appropriations Committee http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/insurance_dept._public_hearing_bill_clears_appropriations/ Medical marijuana bill passes Public Health Committee http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/medicinal_marijuana_passes_public_health and http://www.ctmirror.org/story/12453/federal-prosecution-remains-uncertain-legislators-move-forward-medicinal-marijuana-propo and http://www.courant.com/health/connecticut/hc-weir-medical-marijuana-0504-20110503,0,6931683.story OP-ED — Why I’ll be opting out of CT’s health information exchange http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/op-ed_why_ill_be_opting_out_of_connecticuts_health_information_exchange/ SustiNet press http://www.ctmirror.org/story/12394/sustinet-rally and http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/red_shirts_rally_for_public_option and http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/op-ed_why_we_still_need_sustinet/ Paid sick days debate continues http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/health/entry/paid_sick_days Questions about pooling plan and nonprofits http://www.ctmirror.org/story/12467/nonprofits-state-employee-plan…
Read MoreBad news on health information privacy for CT patients
The HITE-CT Board met last night and approved the insufficient opt-out privacy model for CT’s health information exchange that defaults people into the system unless they figure out how to get out. Board membership is dominated by bureaucrats, large health care institutions and attorneys who represent them.Consumer advocates raised many objections, did significant research on…
Read More