HHS and the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a demonstration of standards to allow sensitive health information to be shared responsibly, complying with confidentiality regulations among providers using electronic health records.
The demonstration was developed as part of the Data Segmentation for Privacy Initiative, which created standards to safely and securely transmit patient records.
During the demonstration, a patient's substance abuse treatment records from HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration were tagged with privacy metadata from one EHR and sent to the VA'S EHR system after electronically verifying the mock patient had consented to the transmission. According to the release, privacy metadata from the SAMHSA EHR electronically explained to the VA EHR system that substance abuse treatment information within the clinical document was protected by federal confidentiality laws and could only be used for certain authorized purposes and could not be further disclosed without the patient's consent.
For more information the Data Segmentation for Privacy Initiative, click here.
5 Best Practices for Improving Data Security
Risk Assessments – What's the Big Deal? Your Responsibilities If You Adopt Electronic Health Records
During the demonstration, a patient's substance abuse treatment records from HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration were tagged with privacy metadata from one EHR and sent to the VA'S EHR system after electronically verifying the mock patient had consented to the transmission. According to the release, privacy metadata from the SAMHSA EHR electronically explained to the VA EHR system that substance abuse treatment information within the clinical document was protected by federal confidentiality laws and could only be used for certain authorized purposes and could not be further disclosed without the patient's consent.
For more information the Data Segmentation for Privacy Initiative, click here.
More Articles on the Secure Transmission of Patient Data:
3 Points on Why Hospitals Need to Build Data Governance Into HIT Infrastructure5 Best Practices for Improving Data Security
Risk Assessments – What's the Big Deal? Your Responsibilities If You Adopt Electronic Health Records