March 2001 News Archives

March 30, 2001 Associations Urge No Delay on HIPAA Privacy The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has joined the Coalition for Health Information Policy (CHIP) in urging Secretary Thompson to not delay further implementation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule regulations. Full Story.

March 30, 2001 (UPDATED) Sec. Thompson Calls Changes to HIPAA Privacy Likely While changes are likely, DHHS Secretary Thompson raised the possibility that the HIPAA Privacy rule would still become effective on April 14th, as scheduled, according to a report by Reuters Health. Reuters Article. AP Article. Transcript of Press Conference (at Health Data Management). UPDATE: A DHHS Spokesperson clarified Sec. Thompson's remarks, saying that no decision has yet been made on changes, according to a report from AHANews

March 29, 2001 Rep. Greenwood Introduces a New Medical Records Privacy Bill. The bill was introduced on March 27th and is intended to ensure confidentiality with respect to medical records and health care-related information. The new privacy bill has been referred to various committees. Rep. Greenwood (R-PA) recently wrote an article on the subject of medical records privacy. Summary of HR1215. The text of HR 1215 [PDF]. The text of HR 1215 (HTML).

March 28, 2001 US Asks EU to Change Privacy Standards The Commerce and Treasury Departments sent a letter on March 23rd to the European Commission requesting changes in the proposed European Union (EU) privacy standards, according to CNET. Full Story.

March 27, 2001 Privacy Rule Survey Results: "Keep the Privacy Rule As-Is!" In a one-of-a-kind online national survey taken over two weeks in March, Phoenix Health Systems' industry newsletter HIPAAlert found that, overwhelmingly, healthcare industry executives, managers and professionals want the Privacy Rule -- and they want it as-is. Full Story.

March 27, 2001 Moody's Says Not-for-Profit Hospitals Able to Absorb HIPAA Costs Compliance costs associated with the HIPAA regulations will not have a significant adverse impact on not-for-profit hospitals or their A3 average rating, says Moody's Investors Service in a newly released special report. Full Story.

March 26, 2001 Supreme Court Upholds Pregnant Woman's Privacy Justices ruled that drug-testing of pregnant mothers without their consent violates the Constitution. Full Story.

March 23, 2001 Sec. Thompson Speaks on HIPAA Privacy In a brief interview on Fox News, DHHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said that he has the authority to rewrite, postpone, suspend or let the HIPAA Privacy rule go into effect as it stands. Full Story.

March 23, 2001 Industry Continues Calls to Change HIPAA Privacy The Bush administration, already under pressure from the health-care industry, heard new calls yesterday to weaken HIPAA Privacy at a House subcommittee hearing, according to an article in the Washington Post. Witness List and Full Testimony. Wash. Post Article. Reuters Article.

March 22, 2001 USA Today Editorial Supports HIPAA Privacy attacking critics for spreading "bogus horror stories". The editorial purports that critics looking for ways to weaken the regulations. Full Story.

March 21, 2001 Democrats Ask DHHS to "Hold the Line" on HIPAA Privacy A group of 47 Democratic Senators and Representatives sent a letter on March 20th to Secretary Thompson asking him “hold the line” on the final HIPAA privacy rule. Senator Kennedy (D-MA) and Representative Edward Markey (D-MA), among others, said any “further delay of these crucial protections would be a major setback in years of effort.” Text of Letter.

March 20, 2001 House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on HIPAA Privacy House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael Bilirakis (R-FL) today released the witness list for the March 22nd hearing on HIPAA. The hearing has been scheduled for months and is not in reaction to any recent developments, according to the Committee's Press Office. Full Story.

March 20, 2001 Study Finds Physicians Seeking Technology The Internet is transforming medical practice for physicians far more rapidly than most industry observers thought possible, according to a recent survey sponsored by HealthTech. Respondents agreed computers have already had a positive impact on the practice quality of care. Full Story.

March 20, 2001 AHIMA Urges DHHS Not to Delay HIPAA Privacy In a letter sent Monday, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) urged Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson to “stay the course” of the HIPAA Privacy Rule and allow it to become effective April 14, 2001. Full Story.

March 19, 2001 Rep. Paul Introduces Resolution to Disapprove HIPAA Privacy Rule. The Joint Resolution has been referred to committee. Full Story.

March 19, 2001 State Attorneys General Ask for Power to Enforce Privacy Legislation A national group of state attorneys general on Friday stopped short of a formal recommendation to Congress that it not pass any privacy law that pre-empts state-based privacy legislation. Instead, the National Association of Attorneys General quietly approved a resolution urging Congress to craft new laws so that state attorneys general have enforcement powers under it, according to The Standard. Full Story.

March 16, 2001 Tech Companies Lobby Against Privacy Laws According to a WSJ Interactive report, companies are led by the Online Privacy Alliance in Washington. The loosely organized campaign is attacking legislative proposals on three fronts: identifying expensive regulatory burdens, raising questions about how any U.S. Internet law would apply to non-Internet industries, and assuring lawmakers that privacy is best guarded by new technology, not new laws. Full Story.

March 16, 2001 FTC Privacy Workshop Ends in Stalemate The purpose of the meeting was to provide dispassionate information about how companies gather and compile data and how they merge data from online and offline sources. But in reality it was another skirmish in the privacy wars. Full Story.

March 15, 2001 Gartner Says Delay of Privacy Rule Would Be a Grave Mistake According to Gartner, the Bush administration and Congress have a prime opportunity to advance healthcare by ensuring that this regulation moves forward unimpeded. In Gartner's opinion, delay or nonapproval of the HIPAA patient privacy regulation would be a grave mistake. Full Story.

March 15, 2001 WEDI Asks DHHS for Rules by April 30th In a March 7th letter to Secretary Thompson, the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) has requested that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) publish the final rules for Security, National Provider Identifier and Employer Identifier by April 30, 2001. The letter also recommends that the enforcement dates for Privacy and Security regulations be synchronized.
Text of Letter (PDF).

March 14, 2001 Federal Judge Forces WebMD to Share Data A U.S. District Court judge has issued an order requiring WebMD to resume supplying data to pharmaceutical outsourcing company Quintiles. WebMD cut off data to the company on Feb. 24, claiming it might violate state laws protecting the privacy of patient medical records. Full Story.

March 13, 2001 URAC Accepting Pre-Applications for Health Web Site Accreditation URAC announced Monday that it is ready to accept pre-applications for Health Web Site Accreditation. This new accreditation program is intended health web sites to demonstrate their commitment to quality standards to consumers and other stakeholders. Full Story.

March 12, 2001 Congress Criticizes EU Privacy Law Members of U.S. Congress said last week that a European Union law that limits how businesses may use personal data imposes a harsh standard on the rest of the world and could trigger a trade war over privacy standards, according to a Reuters report. Full Story.

March 12, 2001 WebMD Suspends Transmissions over Privacy Concerns WebMD reiterated its concerns that the electronic health information it has supplied to Quintiles may jeopardize privacy rights of certain individuals, according to a Reuters report. The company said it notified Quintiles it was exercising its right to suspend data deliveries until the data could be cleansed of elements that could enable Quintiles to identify particular
patients. Full Story.

March 6, 2001 Key Republican Urges Thompson to Block Privacy Rule The Republican leader in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday urged the White House to block sweeping Clinton administration rules aimed at protecting the privacy of patients. Full Story. Text of Letter sent by Dick Armey to Secretary Thompson.

March 2, 2001 IOM Calls for Overhaul of Health Care Industry The nation's health care industry has foundered in its ability to provide safe, high-quality care consistently to all Americans, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies. The report envisions a revamped system that not only is centered on the needs, preferences, and values of patients, but also encourages teamwork among health care workers and makes much greater use of information technology. Full Story.

March 2, 2001 WebMD Seeks to End Relationship Due to Privacy Concerns Internet healthcare firm WebMD on Thursday said its agreement to provide pharmaceutical outsourcing company Quintiles with medical and marketing data may violate privacy laws, and said it will go to court to sever the pact according to a Reuters report. Full Story.

March 2, 2001 Secretary Thompson Announces Regulation Review Sec. Thompson announced today that he intends to implement a review process and report to President Bush on regulations that are "unnecessarily hindering" the health care industry. This review process is not directed specifically at the Congressionally-mandated HIPAA regulations. Full Story.

March 2, 2001 Governors Request Delay on Privacy Rule, but Sec. Thompson said that their request will not carry any more weight than other rule comments as federal officials decide whether to change the rule, according to a report by Health Data Management. Full Story.

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