Creating National Biometric System for Patient Matching Will Threaten Privacy and Security

ST. PAUL, Minn.—The Pew Research Center last week released a new public opinion report on “patient matching,” a term which is simply a less-offensive moniker for “national patient ID,” says Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF).

Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom Highlights Privacy Concerns Within Opioid Bill

ST. PAUL, Minn.—Congress is poised to pass an extensive opioid bill that thus far has had bipartisan cooperation, but Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) has concerns about some of the patient privacy issues within the bill. 

America’s Doctors: ‘This Is Not What We Signed Up For’

ST. PAUL, Minn.—The practice of medicine has become frustrating and painful, thanks to Congress forcing government-mandated electronic health records (EHRs) on doctors. 

Patients—and Their Prescriptions—Are Tracked

ST. PAUL, Minn.—It’s bad enough that Congress and the Obama administration forced government-mandated electronic health records (EHRs) on physicians and patients around the country. But the government also said EHRs had to be used “meaningfully”—which is to say, the way federal officials declare they must be used.

CCHF Event Shines Light on Affordable Free-Market Medicine for Patients and Doctors

ST. PAUL, Minn.—Later this month, Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) will showcase a champion for free-market medicine at its annual dinner and fundraising event in Minneapolis. 

Government EHRs—The High Cost of Coercion

ST. PAUL, Minn.—Stories abound about how Americans travel to other countries for medical treatment or surgeries. Do these citizens choose international care because it is better? Not necessarily. Because the recovery is faster? Not likely. It’s because the price of medical services is often higher in the U.S.—and part of the problem, says Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF), is the government-mandated electronic health record (EHR). 

Doctors and Nurses Burning Out Because of Mandated Electronic Health Records

ST. PAUL, Minn.—Many factors cause doctors to give up medicine, but none more prevalent than those that take physicians away from doing their true job—taking care of patients.

Labor Day is just around the corner, and medical professionals around the country are taking a hard look at how their occupations have changed. A recent survey on physician burnout and stress found that a fifth of doctors cited electronic health records (EHRs) as the top factor contributing to their stress. Earlier this month, two physicians at the University of California school of medicine suggested the EHR mandate is the most likely reason 54.4 percent of physicians are experiencing burnout.

22 HIPAA Harms

ST. PAUL, Minn.—Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) is planning a social media event today—the 22nd anniversary of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)—and alerting Americans how HIPAA, in fact, doesn’t protect patient privacy at all. 

HIPAA was signed into law 22 years ago on Aug. 21, 1996, and CCHF will educate the public about “22 HIPAA Harms” throughout the day on Facebook and Twitter. 

Parents and Newborns Harmed by Unconsented State Storage of Baby DNA

ST. PAUL, Minn.—Three important court cases involving Baby DNA are in progress in Michigan, and while one has suffered a setback, litigators and parents are pressing forward to ensure that their children’s genetic blueprint, and the genetic code of other newborn babies, is protected and kept private. 

The 22-Year HIPAA ‘Privacy’ Misnomer

ST. PAUL, Minn.—For more than two decades, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and its federal rule have been touted as a way to keep patients’ personal medical information private. 

But HIPAA has been under a “privacy” misnomer for 22 years, and in fact, doesn’t protect patient privacy at all.