Policy

Recently, the long-awaited updates to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) were released. Most observers agree that provisions meant to move business associates and subcontractors into the world of covered entities will lead to more accountability of protected health information. But some worry that the rule does not clarify the emerging role of HIEs and population health management initiatives.

What does a technology platform for accountable care look like? What tools do organizations need to allow them to integrate clinical, claims, patient-reported and public health data into a patient-centric data model? Healthcare Informatics recently interviewed several chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), and consultants involved in creating accountable care organizations (ACOs), and a consensus seems to be developing about the areas of infrastructure they need to bolster.

A majority of Americans put the creation of state-based health insurance exchanges at the top of the priority list for health policy in their state this year, according to a survey released on Jan. 24 by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health.

A review of the available evidence underscores the safety of the federal childhood immunization schedule, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. However, the report offers a framework for conducting safety research using existing or new data collection systems. should signals indicate the need for investigation of the schedule.

In its HIPAA final rue, HHS chose to drop the harm standard that a breach does not occur unless the disclosure poses "a significant risk of financial, reputational, or other harm to an individual." Instead, a breach notification is necessary in all situations except those in which the provider demonstrates that there is a low probability that the protected health information has been compromised.