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“Viewpoints” | The Challenge of Modern Health Information Privacy Laws

By: James Hodge

Alex Berenson in the New York Times recently wrote, “The most precious commodity on Wall Street is information...” (1) A similar observation may hold true concerning health data in the modern contexts of health care practice, delivery, reimbursement, and research. Within an emerging national electronic health information infrastructure, personally identifiable health data are an essential commodity, exchanged routinely among providers, insurers, data clearinghouses, researchers, governmental agencies, employers, and others. Access to identifiable health data among multiple groups continues to grow exponentially as digital personal health records (PHRs) become pervasive. Ongoing ...