Electronic healthcare records and privacy

In JAMA this week there is an interesting commentary on President Bush's request for the adoption of interconnected healthcare records within the next 10 years and the implications that has for possible violation of privacy. The commentary explains the laws surrounding health information portability. There is also discussion about the complexity of compelled authorizations for the disclosure of healthcare records, and creating contextual access criteria which would ensure limits to the scope of disclosure.

To read the full article:
Rothstein MA & Talbott MK (2006) Compelled Disclosure of Health Information: Protecting Against the Greatest Potential Threat to Privacy JAMA. 295 pp.2882-2885