Patient Privacy

CCHF Letter to MDH Commissioner Malcolm

"We are deeply concerned with your April 2 'Notification Letter' letter to Minnesota hospitals regarding 'Situational Awareness.' Whether by accident or design, your Notification Letter falsely suggests that you have the authority to compel hospitals to provide MDH with all general population patient data, rather than limited, specific and authorized data necessary to support MDH’s COVID-19 surveillance efforts. . . ."

Universal Patient Data Consent Form

This language establishes a mandatory patient consent form for health information sharing. It allows a patient to share as much or as little information as they desire using “Yes” and “No” options for each requested data-share. Definitions attached to the form educate patients on how the information could be used allowing for more informed decision-making.

2019 Newborn Retention by State

2019 Newborn Retention

The U.S. CENSUS­: From Enumeration to Intrusion

By April 1, Americans in every household will have received the 2020 U.S. Census form in their mailbox. While enumeration continues to be one portion of the Census, the overall purpose of the Census has shifted as the nation has developed and grown. The U.S. Census and in particular, the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, now collect additional private data on Americans, including information on health status and medical conditions. 

Trump Admin’s Interoperability Rules Fail to Give Patients Full Control

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) expresses concern about the lack of privacy protections in the Trump administration’s newly released health information interoperability rules on patient medical records by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Health and Human Services Department’s Office of the Nation Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

California Abuses Patient Trust By Evaluating Children for “Toxic Stress”

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) is warning parents about California’s newest push to screen children for “toxic stress.” Starting this year, well-child visits for millions of California children could include questions about highly sensitive and delicate topics, such as divorce, family income, and unstable household environments.

7 Big Data Contracts

Minnesota Restricts Long-term Storage of Patient Prescription Data

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A major change to Minnesota’s Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) took place on January 1, 2020. The Minnesota Board of Pharmacy will no longer have access to four years of identifiable patient prescription data, which it had been using for research without patient consent. Going forward, the board will have diminishing amounts of data available for analysis and research. By 2022, only the past 12 months of patient prescription data will be stored, on a rolling basis.

Letter to HHS Opposing a Proposed Rule that Supports "Value-Based Care"

CCHF President Twila Brase writes to the Inspector General, HHS: "The proposed rule fully supports a move away from the American way of paying for services (fee-for-service) to a centralized decision-making process called “value-based care” and “value-based payment.” As the proposal notes: “The Secretary of [HHS] has identified transforming our healthcare system to one that pays for value as one of the top priorities of the Department of [HHS].”"

Letter to OCR on Ascension-Google Sharing 50M Medical Records

CCHF's letter begins: "As president of CCHF, I am writing with a request that you also protect patient rights, specifically related to the data-sharing agreement between Ascension and Google. According to recent news reports, your office has opened up an investigation...." ACTION ALERT: Contact OCR Director Roger Severino with your concerns about Google getting the medical records of 50M people without patient consent. Use the OCR address on page one of CCHF letter.