Protect the Privacy of Your Health Records

Also from The ACLU. Click here to jump to their "Take Action" web page.

Earlier this year, the economic stimulus bill contained mandates for converting paper health records into electronic data systems and called for strong privacy protections of those records.

But now, as the Department of Health and Human Services writes the detailed regulations to guide this process, there's a real risk that your privacy won't be protected after all.

That's because powerful special interests are lobbying heavily for regulations that give hospitals and insurance companies -- not patients -- control over how personal medical information is used. This could leave you with no process for blocking access to critical information such as the results of HIV/AIDS tests and eventually, no way to correct false information in your medical records or see who is reviewing those records.

Events are moving quickly. So now is the time to make your voice heard. Send a "protect my privacy" message to Dr. David Blumenthal, the HHS official in charge of this process.

>>Take Action: Tell HHS we need real patient control of personal health data in our electronic medical records!