Bush Confirms HIPAA Privacy Will Go Into Effect
Saturday After
Thousands Submit Comments to HHS on Patient Privacy Rules
President Bush will proceed with the implementation of the patient
privacy rules, effective Saturday, April 14. Thousands of
individuals and groups have submitted comments to the Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the controversial rules. The
comments appear to be split into three categories: 1) support of
the rules as necessary to protect privacy; 2) criticism for undermining
patient privacy; and 3) belief that the cost of the regulations
could force hospitals to close.
Full text of Secretary Thompson's statement follows:
Thursday, April 12, 2001
STATEMENT BY HHS SECRETARY TOMMY G. THOMPSON REGARDING
THE PATIENT PRIVACY RULE
Today, I am pleased to announce that the President is taking a
bold and definitive step to protect the rights of citizens to keep
their medical records confidential.
President Bush wants strong patient privacy protections put in
place now. Therefore, we will immediately begin the process of implementing
the patient privacy rule that will give patients greater access
to their own medical records and more control over how their personal
information is used.
We have laws in this country to protect the personal information
contained in bank, credit card and other financial records. Our
citizens must not wait any longer for protection of the most personal
of all information - their health records.
This rule makes sure that private health information doesn't fall
victim to the progress of the information and technology age, where
an array of data is readily available in computer systems and too
often just a keystroke away from being accessed. We are giving patients
peace of mind in knowing that their medical records are indeed confidential
and their privacy is not vulnerable to intrusion.
The President considers this a tremendous victory for American
consumers, who will continue to receive high-quality health care
without sacrificing the confidentiality of their private health
matters.
This town has been debating patient privacy for the better part
of a decade, and President Bush believes it is now time to act and
protect patients.
As you know, during the past two months, the Department of Health
and Human Services and the White House have met with and listened
to a broad and diverse group of lawmakers, interest groups, health
care leaders and individual citizens regarding the patient privacy
rule.
Our department has received more than 24,000 written comments on
this issue. My staff has expedited the review of these comments
as they have come in and generally found that most of the submissions
broke down into similar categories. In fact, thousands of the comments
were clearly part of mass mailing efforts in support of a particular
view or concern. And I want to thank my staff for working hard to
review these comments and pave the way for a decision this week.
We will keep these comments in mind as we continue to make sure
patients receive the highest quality care and begin the process
of issuing guidelines on how this rule should be implemented. The
guidelines will allow us to clarify some of the confusion regarding
the impact this rule might have on health care delivery and access.
And we will consider any necessary modifications that will ensure
the quality of care does not suffer inadvertently from this rule.
For example, to address some of the concerns raised in comments,
we will make it clear through guidelines or recommended modifications
that:
Doctors and hospitals will have access to necessary medical information
about a patient they are treating and they will be able to consult
with other physicians and specialists regarding a patient's care.
Certainly patients want their doctors to make the most informed
decisions possible about their care and treatment.
Patient care will be delivered in a timely and efficient manner
and not unduly hampered by the confusing requirements surrounding
consent forms. For example, pharmacists will be able to fill prescriptions
over the phone and serve their customers in a timely manner.
And, parents will have access to information about the health
and well-being of their children, including information about mental
health, substance abuse or abortion.
The President believes this patient privacy rule will deliver strong
and long overdue protections for personal medical information while
maintaining the high quality of care we expect in this great nation.
We appreciate the President's leadership and courage in tackling
a very complex and difficult issue that this town has wrestled with
for too long. It's another example of how this President is going
to be decisive and take bold action to address the concerns of the
American people.
As a result of President Bush's decisive action today, our citizens
finally will have the peace of mind of knowing their health records
are safe and protected.
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