National Health Information Network (NHIN)

Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange Diagram

Minnesota Legislation: Senate File 1/ House File 5

Adding Minnesotans to “the largest consolidation of personal data in the history of the republic” - USA TODAY

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. 

Obamacare Creates a Privacy Nightmare

Obamacare creates a privacy nightmare. Have you heard of the "HUB"? Last week in the USA Today, two authors laid out the national database being built by the Obama administration as part of Obama's federal exchange system. This is the "Federal Data Services Hub " (HUB). Back to eNews.

Intrusive HUB Explained in Medicaid FAQ

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services answered a few questions in a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) about how the intrusive centeralized ACA database -- the federal data services hub (HUB) -- will work. They include a comment that all states must use, connect to and share data with the HUB for Medicaid even if the state refuses to expand Medicaid under the ACA. 

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...."

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.

CCHF Predicts Patient Difficulty in Accessing Care

As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to be implemented, patient privacy is one of the most oft-noted concerns as data is forced online, but the law’s impact on patient access to care is critical. The Citizens' Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) predicts, based on the results of a new study, that patients will have difficulty accessing medical care.

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....

CCHF: Exchange Data Sharing Promotes Major Privacy Intrusions

ST. PAUL, Minn. – KEY FACTS:
•    Minnesota currently leads state health insurance exchange implementation with its recently signed, $41 million contract with Maximus, Inc.
•    Contract details follow federal regulations and provide a glimpse at what information must be shared based on the law.
•    Information shared with federal agencies by state health insurance exchanges based on the Enroll UX 2014 initiative is intrusive and compromises patient privacy.