Patient Privacy

The Latest Perils of Obamacare

Obamacare is coming. Soon everyone will feel the painful realities of what the Democrat-empowered Congress imposed on the nation. It's going to be more painful than many experts predicted. Besides the negative impact on quality of care, there will also be significant cost increases leading to reduced access to health insurance and patient care. 

Americans Demand More Time to Comment on Proposed PPACA Regulations

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set forth four new Obamacare regulations that totaled more than 700 pages during the holiday season and allowed for only 30 days of public review and comment. A majority of public comments on these bills – totaling more than 80 percent on one regulation – insisted that the HHS extend the review and comment period to 90 days to allow for adequate review and public feedback.

CCHF Comment on MN Health Records Access Legislative Study

As you know, according to Chapter 247 of Minnesota's Laws 2012, your department is required to report "any relevant patient privacy" recommendations from the heath records access study. We certainly expect to see such recommendations based on our comments and the comments of the general public in the upcoming report. In response to the three questions regarding consent, health records, notification of breaches and audit logs in the Minnesota Health Records Access Study, I provide the following comments on behalf of Citizens' Council for Health Freedom.

Take Action - Comment on MN Health Records Access Legislative Study

The MN Dept of Health wants your comments on patient consent before accessing private medical records, on having to inform patients about unauthorized access to medical records, and on whether patients should be able to see the electronic logs that show exactly who accessed their medical records, when, where, and why. You almost didn't get this opportunity. Deadline for Comments - Thursday, Dec. 20

Exchanges to Track Patients and Doctors - CMS Request for Comments

CMS has issued a request for comments, including a list of questions, on how to redesign health care through the Exchanges. It's under the rubric of Obamacare's "National Quality Strategy" (Section 3011) and it follows the Section 1311 requirement that Exchanges pay health plans more if they improve health outcomes through government reporting, case management, care coordination, chronic disease management, medication and care compliance initiatives, health IT, wellness activities, and reduction of "health disparities." Read the questions for clarity of intrusions to come.

CCHF Applauds Gov. Walker’s Refusal to Implement a State Health Insurance Exchange

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker recently refused implementation of a Wisconsin owned and operated health insurance exchange, citing lack of design freedom and potentially undisclosed costs to taxpayers as impetus for his refusal. His decision letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius noted that Wisconsin is already able to provide healthcare to 90 percent of its citizen population without an exchange, and the new system would not improve coverage for state citizens.

Exchange Partnerships Are Deceptive; States Must Refuse Implementation

ST. PAUL, Minn. – With Friday’s deadline for states to declare their intentions with regard to implementing an Obamacare health insurance exchange past, several states agreed to allow the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to come into the state and “partner” with state officials in order to create a health insurance exchange. States like North Carolina, Arkansas, and Illinois will pursue such partnerships, seemingly unaware of the power they have handed to the federal government.

Impact of Obama’s Re-election on Implementation of the ACA

CDC Letter Requesting Tracking/Reporting of Tobacco Use & Immunizations, October 2012

As reported by Bloomberg/BNA's Health IT Law and Industry Report (10/29/12), Tom Frieden, director of the CDC wasnts doctors and hospitals to use EMRs to "track and refer tobacco users to public hotlines that offer support to patients working to quit smoking." In Stage 2 of "meaningful use" (MU), doctors and hospitals receive incentive payments if they record the smoking status of more than 80 percent of all patients 13 years or older. Patients may of course refuse to answer the questions or assist in the data collection.  The CDC letter also suggests that EHRs should "automatically retrieve information from immunization registries." Click to read the CDC's letter.

FDA Testifies to Six Deaths and 44 Injuries Related to Health IT

Jeffrey Shuren, FDA: "...To date, FDA has largely refrained from enforcing our regulatory requirements with respect to HIT devices. Nevertheless, certain HIT vendors have voluntarily registered and listed their software devices with the FDA, and some have provided submissions for premarket review. Additionally, patients, clinicians, and user facilities have voluntarily reported HIT-related adverse events. In the past two years, we have received 260 reports of HIT-related malfunctions with the potential for patient harm —including 44 reported injuries and 6 reported deaths. Because these reports are purely voluntary, they may represent only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the HIT-related problems that exist...."