Friday, November 20, 2009

National Experts Explore Best Practices in Data De-Identification for Healthcare & EHRs in Melamedia Seminar

HITECH, Breach Notification Prompt New Attention to Anonymizing Patient Records - CDT Suggests Changes to HIPAA Rules

Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) November 20, 2009 -- Assertive federal effort to encourage the adoption of electronic health records has generated new incentives and interest in de-identified patient data. De-identified data escapes the requirements of HIPAA and breach notification laws, but the potential risk of re-identification has generated privacy concerns. In response to these concerns, Congress directed HHS issue to issue new de-identification guidance in 2010.

De-identifying patient information is a complicated exercise and some current practices may not appropriately protect patient confidentiality or preserve the accuracy and usefulness of data.

But when de-identification is properly implemented and managed, it protects and balances two essential interests: the protection of the privacy of individuals in healthcare data sets, and the preservation of the usefulness and accuracy of analyses and tasks performed with de-identified data. Such properly de-identified data has many important research, quality improvement, public health and commercial uses.

To assist healthcare organizations use de-identification as tool for protecting patient confidentiality while using the valuable health information, Melamedia, LLC, publishers of Health Information
Privacy/Security Alert, is sponsoring a 90-minute audio seminar:

Best Practices & New Issues in Data De-Identification for Healthcare & EHRs

Participants will be briefed on:

 
  • New issues driving the use of de-identified patient information;
  • Best practices for de-identifying patient data and policies and procedures for managing its use;
  • Recommended contract provisions for generating and sharing de-identified data;
  • Open issues for de-identification practice where HHS guidance is needed;
  • The kinds of "reasonably available" electronic data which must be considered when assessing re-identification risks for statistical de-identification under HIPAA;
  • The benefits and challenges surrounding patient control of de-identified records; and much more

WHO SHOULD LISTEN
 
  • Health Information Managers
  • Privacy Officers
  • Security Officers
  • Researchers
  • Hospital Administrators
  • Business Associates
  • EHR & PHR Vendors
  • Researcher Administrators
  • Health Insurers
  • Biostatisticians
  • Consumer Affairs Professionals
  • Personal Data Collection Companies
  • State and Federal Healthcare Officials
  • Healthcare Attorneys
  • Healthcare Consultants

THE FACULTY

Daniel C. Barth-Jones, M.P.H., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and an Adjunct Assistant Professor and Epidemiologist for the Prevention Research Center in the Department of Pediatrics at the Wayne
State University School of Medicine. His experience conducting and managing statistical disclosure limitation operations and research has spanned more than 17 years, involving activities in both the healthcare information industry and in academia. Dr. Barth-Jones has authored several peer-reviewed publications and a book chapter on statistical disclosure assessment and control.

Deven McGraw is the Director of the Health Privacy Project at CDT, where she focuses on developing and promoting policies that ensure individual privacy as personal health information is shared electronically. She serves on the Health Information Technology (HIT) Policy Committee, a
federal advisory committee established in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and co-chairs its Information Exchange Workgroup. She also serves on the Leadership Council of the eHealth Initiative and is on the Steering Group of the Markle Foundation's Connecting for Health multi-stakeholder initiative.

Dennis Melamed is editor and publisher of Health Information Privacy/Security Alert, has 30 years of experience writing about business and regulatory affairs in Washington, DC. Dennis is an adjunct
professor at the Drexel College of Medicine and the chief editor and lead author of the three-volume HIPAA Handbook reference set. He is a frequent lecturer and columnist on health information confidentiality and security issues.

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS

 
  • All seminar participants will receive a certificate of participation
  • 1.5 IAPP Credits - Pending

REGISTRATION

To learn more and register, visit http://www.melamedia.com

See Also:

[Via Legal / Law]

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