Protecting Medical Privacy In a Digital Age: Beyond Policies and Procedures, A Critical Role for Technology

Protecting Medical Privacy In a Digital Age: Beyond Policies and Procedures, A Critical Role for Technology By Bruce Merlin Fried, Esq., Shaw Pittman, LLP Introduction: New Technologies, New Concerns Two powerful forces, seemingly at odds, are sweeping through Americas healthcare system: the accelerating implementation of digital and information technologies (IT) and society's demand that our personal medical information be protected from improper disclosure. Lawmakers in Congress, the Executive Branch, and the states are struggling to develop public policies which strike the right balance between encouraging the use of healthcare IT and protecting the privacy of our personal health information . . .