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Medical privacy is a central component of the government medical privacy laws, the HIPAA REGULATIONS. All patients are required to acknowledge receipt of the HIPAA statement. It is very important that privacy is critical in medical
record keeping. But keep in mind that one's medical records are computerized in the files of the insurance companies. Also they are available in lab companies, in hospital records, in pharmacy records and in
multiple doctors' offices' paper records—including consultants' charts, radiologists' charts, and prior doctors' charts. Since the government is going to mandate medical bill submission by computer,
and since ultimately handwritten prescriptions will be phased out (due to inaccuracies), it is inevitable that all office medical records will ultimately be electronic. So the key is to do what is possible to
maintain maximum privacy, to provide proper firewalls and encryption, realizing that no electronic information is never 100% safe, but then again no paper records are 100% safe. Following government
mandates, and using all industry standards, we will continue to provide the privacy that all physicians are expected to respect. |
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