Minnesota Plans to Create State Health Database

On March 20, 2003, as a result of legislative and public pressure, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) withdrew the health data collection rule. However, the MDH is still authorized by a 10-year old state law to collect patient-identifiable medical record information without patient consent. That law remains in effect. In fact, to develop the data collection system proposed in the rule, the Department collected millions of records of patient encounters between 1996 and 2001.

During the 2003 legislative session, resistance to repealing the data collection law came from the Administration and the Senate, where the bill was never allowed to receive a hearing (There were four hearings in the House). As a result, the House author, Rep. Bill Haas (R-Champlin), withdrew his bill to repeal the law. He plans to work with the Administration during the summer of 2003 to resolve various issues in preparation for the 2004 session.

• Withdrawal of MN Health Data Collection Rule Changes Nothing
• Patient Medical Records ALREADY Collected by Minnesota Department of Health
• CCHC REPORT: Public's Response to Minnesota's Proposed State Health Database
• OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC RESPONSE: Contacts and Links to rule/ruling/law
• EMPLOYER GROUPS AND RESEARCHERS support data collection: read their testimony
• DATA COLLECTION: SEVEN POINTS OF CONCERN (PDF)
• MN Health Department's Diagram of Data Transmission, Encryption and Collection Procedures (PDF)
• CCHC Testimony, Minnesota's Proposed Patient Surveillance System, 1/22/03
• Government Access to Medical Records - Official Notice from the Minnesota Health Department (PDF)
• Latest Version of Data Collection Rule - Approved by Judge
• SELECT QUOTES: Judge's ruling on state plan to collect patient data

  
  CCHC is an independent non-profit free-market health care policy organization located in St. Paul, Minnesota