Patient Privacy

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...."

CCHF Outlines What Exchange is for Legislative Committee

CCHF's president testified at a hearing regarding the state of Minnesota being able to take and use $42.5 million without legislative approval to continue the building of the health insurance exchange which was executive ordered by Governor Mark Dayton. CCHF describes what the exchange really is and why they need to stop it.

U.S. Senators Cite CCHF Position in Health IT Letter to HHS

Four U.S. Senators, including Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) sent a letter to HHS asking several questions about "the final rule fo rthe Stage 2 of Meaningful Use for the adoption of electronic health records." Doctors and hospitals can receive taxpayer funds for adopting EMRs. Penalties for failure to adopt EMRs begin in 2015. In their fourth and final bullet, the Senators cited an article, "More voices raised against EHR incentives," discussing CCHF's concerns about EHRs and MU.

Stop Pushing Health Data Online, It Doesn’t Reduce Costs or Improve Care

ST. PAUL, Minn. –Michael Grunwald recently wrote in Healthcare IT News that health IT was one of the most transformative programs promoted by President Obama’s $27 billion Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health – or HITECH – Act within the Recovery Act. By computerizing medical data under the guise of cost control and improved healthcare delivery, the U.S. government has been able to implement what HHS Secretary Sebelius called the “foundation” for Obamacare. 

CCHF Urges States to Protect Citizens’ Health Information

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced earlier this month it will not regulate the nationwide health information network, or NHIN, through formal rule-making, instead offering “a framework of principles and good practice models” to help guide deployment without hindering the implementation. The NHIN is designed to share patient health data among insurers and all types of health providers that an individual may seek treatment from. The nationwide network will interact with all state and individual provider networks, to....