A Government Accountability Office report released on Thursday notes that while HHS has several "collective initiatives" aimed at protecting the privacy of electronic health data, the department does not have a "clearly defined" strategy to integrate those efforts, InformationWeek reports.
The report, "Health IT: Early Efforts Initiated but Comprehensive Privacy Approach Needed for National Strategy," calls on HHS to "define and implement an overall privacy approach that identifies milestones for integrating the outcomes of its initiatives, ensures key privacy principles are fully addressed and addresses the challenges associated with the nationwide exchange of health information."
However, HHS commented in the report that "tightly scripted milestones" would hinder the agency's work and stall policy discussions among stakeholders of a national health IT network.
The Senate requested that GAO detail the actions HHS is taking to ensure the protection of privacy within a nationwide health IT network, InformationWeek reports (Kolbasulk McGee, InformationWeek, 2/1).