The Center for Health Information Technology conducted a comprehensive assessment of the privacy and security policies and business practices related to implementation of statewide health information exchange (HIE). Representatives from eight health care Sector Groups -- consumer, hospital, laboratory and imaging centers, long term care, payer, pharmacy, physician, and purchaser participated in this project. The assessment focused on business policies and practices in general, and security policies and practices in particular, that could hinder the development of effective electronic health information exchange either within hospital systems or statewide. A final report on this activity will be released in November 2007.
A Privacy and Security Solutions and Implementation Workgroup (Workgroup) has been established to identify solutions and develop implementation plans using the recommendations from the privacy and security assessment as a foundation for their work. The Workgroup will identify solutions and develop implementation plans to overcome barriers to statewide HIE. The Workgroup includes representatives from the eight Sector Groups that participated in the privacy and security assessment, including consumers, hospitals, medical laboratories and diagnostic imaging centers, long term care, payers, pharmacies, physicians, and purchasers.
The final report on the work of the Privacy and Security Solutions and Implementation Workgroup is expected to be released in January 2008.
