Enabling Patient Access Data Stewardship Involves More Than Data Use and Disclosure

摘要

DATA STEWARDSHIP IS a hot topic. As this issue went to press, the Department of Health and Human Services was expected to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking on accounting of disclosures, an expansion of the HIPAA requirements mandated by the HITECH Act. Rulemaking was also expected on a second set of privacy rule modifications from HITECH that will affect patient access to information. As the industry awaited these rules, HHS's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) levied a dollar4.3 million fine against Cignet Health in Prince George's County, MD, for failing to grant patients access to their health records. Data stewardship involves more than managing data use and disclosure. This column examines HIPAA's other data stewardship obligations, the HITECH rules modifying the HIPAA privacy rule, and HIM's tasks for implementing the new rules and regulations.