Possibility of "breach of confidentiality" of medical records raised with the Privacy Commissioner

JOHN KIRK- ANDERSON / STUFF

About 800,000 patients enrolled in Auckland could have their medical records extracted for a "clinical intelligence system" by ProCare Health.

Healthcare IT companies are concerned that up to 800,000 Aucklanders have had their privacy violated as their medical records have been copied into a new electronic database. .

On Tuesday, four New Zealand and Australian health care companies, HealthLink, Medtech Global, myPractice and Best Practice Software New Zealand, expressed their concerns to the Privacy Commissioner about a potential invasion of privacy.

About a month ago, they learned that ProCare Health was extracting private medical information including the patient's name, age, address, and all financial, demographic, and clinical information, including laboratory results, BMI and drugs. "Patients and their general practitioners have been left unaware of this," said HealthLink Executive Director Tom Bowden.

READ MORE:
* US doctors warn of traps electronic medical records
* Want to see your medical records? Just go online
* The hospital sends wrong records to the dead woman's son in an attack on life Private "Disappointing"

ProCare represents more than 180 medical practices and 800,000 patients enrolled in the Auckland area. "From ProCare to its practices stated that the Clinical Intelligence System was a" data warehouse "that they would use for" interactive, forable to NHI (National Health Index) data reports. "

" ProCare gets a complete set of data for all patients, including coding / exams cl drugs, prescriptions and bills. "

Bowden said" gravely concerned "that this lack of transparency could undermine New Zealanders' confidence in public health systems and their generalists to protect their privacy. HealthLink services enable healthcare professionals to securely transmit information to help patients care for patients.

Bowden stated that key aspects of health information exchange are privacy and security.

"People need to know if the information is there and if it is sent anywhere."

For ProCare to create a clinical intelligence system that allows them to "gather daily updates" of 800,000 patient records.

"It's a big brother or big sister at work here."

Patient notes should stay where they were created and only requested when needed, for example if a patient goes to the emergency room, he said.

Instead, an organization without a direct relationship with the patient asks the doctors to help him gather all the patient records that he can access, said Bowden, whose implications could be "corrosive."

SUPPLIED

HealthLink General Manager Tom Bowden tells Stuff that the move was "big brother, big sister at work"

is sent here and there, they tend to agglutinate and do not tell generalists what is going on by fear, which prevents them from doing a good job of diagnosis. "

Companies wonder if ProCare has breached the New Zealand Health Information Privacy Code.

They also sent a letter to the Royal College of General Practitioners of New Zealand for him ask to make sure that general practitioners are aware of what happens to the patient's information and how to protect themselves and their patients

does not work without these data and was "very surprised" to hear business concerns.

Clinical Director, Dr. Allan Moffitt, stated that ProCare only extracts information from patients and their practices, including financial and identifiable information.

Patients "consent directly" to having their information extracted when enrolled in doctors, he said.

"Patients must understand at p the registration form that the identifiable information is shared with the PHO for the purposes indicated.

"PHO has Strict Procedures to Protect Patients' Privacy and Uses Data to Improve Care

They Requested a Comprehensive Privacy Impact Assessment of the System information that was later reviewed by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, he said. takes the care of patients and their records very seriously and has very strong frameworks and processes to ensure that all legal obligations are respected. "

He stated that ProCare had not been contacted by companies and questioned their intentions.]" We will be more and more interested in helping our firms to take a closer look their suppliers are also aware and comply with the regulations. framework in which we work, "said Moffitt.

A spokesperson for the Privacy Commissioner confirmed that he was contacted Tuesday by HealthLink on behalf of four health IT companies "alerting us to concerns about a" clinical intelligence system. "

"We will study the information decide how to proceed," said the spokesman.

– References