[ISN] Report: Government key to health ID security

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http://fcw.com/articles/2009/01/20/government-key-to-health-ids.aspx

By Alice Lipowicz
FCW.com
Jan 20, 2009

The government must be a leader in identifying and fighting medical 
identity theft and should make it a central part of health information 
technology initiatives, according to a new report [1] from the Health 
and Human Services Department.

Medical identity theft poses serious dangers to consumers because false 
information in a personâs health record could affect treatment, 
researchers said. For example, false information could lead to a person 
receiving the wrong medicine in an emergency room, resulting in the 
patientâs injury or death. Health identity theft could also lead to 
financial costs for individuals, payers and providers and the loss of 
privacy for individuals.

âGovernment should take the lead to ensure that medical identity theft 
is taken into consideration as part of the broader interoperability, 
governance, and privacy and security initiatives associated with the 
interchange and protection of personal health data,â the report states.

âFeedback from our research and the medical identity Town Hall [meeting] 
indicated agreement across the stakeholder community that the prevention 
and detection of medical identity theft needs to be built into and 
considered as an integral part of health IT activities now and in the 
future,â the report continues. 

[1] http://www.hhs.gov/healthit/documents/MedIdTheftReport011509.pdf

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