Information Flow and Health Care

For John, BLUF:  I wonder how many customers are there because information wasn't easy to exchange?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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About a week ago The Boston Globe ran an OpEd by Columnist Mike Ross on HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996).  This is a topic that always interests me.  I think of HIPPA as one of those Federal Frauds perpetrated on the American People by a Clueless Congress.  Mr Ross touches on that as he argues that while he can be quarantined due to measles, the law and its inherent confusion prevent effective and efficient sharing of information—information that could save lives, or at least make medicine more effective.  The article is here.  Read the whole thing.  Mr Ross is a former Boston City Councilor who needs his Wikipedia page updated.

We sign regarding HIPPA every time we get a new provider and also every year.  We sign that we have been provided something from the provider that explains our rights under HIPPA.  What rights?  At least one such form said that the military has the right to examine our records.  The military?  Why?  I can see that for enlistment purposes, but if I am not enlisting, why?  Maybe some future draft.  However, if they get to me, at 72, we are in deep trouble (and the Air Force should have called me back before than anyway).

In the mean time we are doing a pretty poor job of sharing information that would allow us to make good decisions, both medical and other.  I see it in the area of homelessness.  People move around in the homeless population.  Are we able to help them by forwarding information on their status, on what has been done to help them with this or that agency?  Often not.

Yes, privacy is a very important issue and we need to work on it, but that doesn't mean that we should allow individuals and groups to be hurt by lack of information exchange.  I would like to suggest that we work on matching up data bases (and as Mr Ross suggests, preserving information), but that we create and empower a group of information auditors to review and ensure information is not being exploited to the disadvantage of the persons whose information we have gathered.  It might even help us in dealing with the deprivations of petty bureaucrats.

Regards  —  Cliff