by medicaltechont | Apr 6, 2014 | Canada, Cloud, eHealth, Privacy, United States
When it comes to electronic health records, “the switch to cloud is inevitable.” That’s according to Joy Pritts, Chief Privacy Officer at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT in the Obama administration, who spoke at a “Health Care, the Cloud, and Privacy” panel hosted by the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, Patient Privacy Rights.
Electronic health records are exactly what they sound like: A collection of health information in digital format that can include a wide range of data, from intimate details of your medical history and test results to demographic data to your billing information. Digital records are superior to physical ones because they can be transferred quickly when patients switch providers, help doctors get a complete picture of patient health, eliminate the need for redundant testing, and provide new opportunities for analyzing treatments for efficiency and effectiveness.
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by medicaltechont | Apr 5, 2014 | Legal, Privacy
Get patient consent before storing records in data clouds MDU advises
Some GPs and independent practitioners have asked the MDU about their legal and ethical responsibilities when using virtual servers accessible over the internet, known as ‘data clouds’, to store patient information. The MDU, which indemnifies over half of all UK doctors, advises that clinicians consider very carefully the risks involved in storing confidential medical information in third party off-site cloud facilities. Dr Claire Macaulay, MDU medico-legal adviser, explained: “Traditionally information such as patient records has been stored locally within the practice. But cloud computing can offer a convenient alternative, not least because the information can be accessed from any computer. However, the potential security and confidentiality risks of doing so may, for the present time, outweigh the benefits.” – See more at: http://www.themdu.com/press-centre/press-releases/get-patient-consent-before-storing-records-in-data-clouds-mdu-advises#sthash.565UnHGT.dpuf
See more at: http://www.themdu.com/press-centre/press-releases/get-patient-consent-before-storing-records-in-data-clouds-mdu-advises#sthash.565UnHGT.dpuf
by medicaltechont | Mar 16, 2014 | Cloud, e-Health, EHR, Healthcare, Technology
N.B. Medical Society facing criticism from members about patient record software. The New Brunswick Medical Society is finding itself on the defensive against criticism from its own members who are questioning its handling of a new electronic medical record (EMR) program. Launched in partnership with the private information technology company Accreon, the software is sold under the business name Velante.
Only 240 of 950 eligible doctors have signed up for Velante, one month ahead of the March 31 deadline to receive government subsidies.
But, according to Health Minister Ted Flemming, only 34 doctors are currently using it.
‘We feel we’ve been pushed aside.’
– Dr. Sarah Charlebois
Many doctors, such as Dr. Sarah Charlebois, an Oromocto family physician, are using other systems.
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by medicaltechont | Mar 15, 2014 | eHealth, EHR, Software
A Fredericton doctor says the province’s new electronic medical records system has created an uneven playing field.
Dr. Doug Varty was one of about 60 doctors who adopted electronic records before the new system was introduced.
He says he is out tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of work because the Department of Health and the New Brunswick Medical Society went with a program that no one was using.
In addition, Varty won’t be able to link to the provincial system, he said.
“That’s a very important part of any EMR is being able to download your data — you know, your lab reports, your X-ray reports, consultant reports and all those sorts of things, automatically, and in a timely fashion. And we’re being denied that,” Varty said.
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by medicaltechont | Jan 2, 2014 | Cloud, e-Health, eHealth, Ontario, Privacy, Technology
We are using the cloud more and more. As Internet connections get faster and more reliable, the convenience of having all our data available on all our devices becomes ever more attractive.
However, there are disadvantages to using cloud services, particularly the free of charge ones that still have to make a profit somehow. There are many valid, albeit scary, questions you’ll want to mull over before trusting a third party to keep your data safe and we’ve listed them below.
The answers, as you will discover, in this feature are generally not what you want to hear:
- Privacy – is your data stored or is it being mined for advertising and marketing purposes?
- Reliability – can you be certain that the service you’re using will always be available? What guarantees do you have regarding the safety of your data and is there anything you can do to improve this?
- Security – is your data encrypted? Who has access to the encryption keys? Could your data be hacked or stolen?
- Continuity – Can the cloud provider suspend or cancel your account, possibly even losing all your data, for any reason?
- Performance – Is your Internet connection fast enough to use the services you want without delays?
- Copyright – who owns the content you upload? Can your photos be sold or published without your consent?
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