all in all, aren't there better things to be doing?
Perhaps, but I've been doing this for four years now. Read my article introducing Bricolage and comparing it to other CMS solutions to learn more about how it's different
Unfortunately, the Register does not use Bricolage. You can find a reasonably comprehensive list of the sites that use Bricolage on the Bricolage Sites page.
Thanks for the clarification. This is good to know. If the wording is as strong and specific as you say, then it becomes a mere question of technology and implemtation. So, who do we trust to do it?
In general, I think that the requirements of the HIPAA are a Good Thing(TM). As someone who has worked in Medical IT for three years, I understand the need for high levels of security in order to insure patient confidentiality. However, I also see the benefits to a universal, centralized database of patient clinical data - most of which Dr. Wolf mentions below.
Given the state of the law and the technology, however, and given the threat to patient confidentiality posed by such a centralized database (can you be refused a job or health insurance because of your prior medical record?), I think it is extremely important that further legislation be passed in order to make such uses of patient data illegal. Such legislation must be very specific in terms of what constitutes abuse and what the consequences of said abuse will be. Only with such a legal framework in place will the technological be able to move ahead while offering patients some level of comfort regarding the confidentiality of their data.
And as for the techology, it must have, at a minimum, the following features (IMO):
HIPAA compliance, perhaps through an XML data exchange format.
Security to ensure Patient Confidentiality: minimum 1024-bit PK encryption and triple-DES private-key encryption.
Access authentication, so that it is clear who accesses a record, every time it it accessed. Permission should be given to healthcare professionals and patients.
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Perhaps, but I've been doing this for four years now. Read my article introducing Bricolage and comparing it to other CMS solutions to learn more about how it's different
--Theory
Unfortunately, the Register does not use Bricolage. You can find a reasonably comprehensive list of the sites that use Bricolage on the Bricolage Sites page.
--Theory
Thanks for the clarification. This is good to know. If the wording is as strong and specific as you say, then it becomes a mere question of technology and implemtation. So, who do we trust to do it?
David
Given the state of the law and the technology, however, and given the threat to patient confidentiality posed by such a centralized database (can you be refused a job or health insurance because of your prior medical record?), I think it is extremely important that further legislation be passed in order to make such uses of patient data illegal. Such legislation must be very specific in terms of what constitutes abuse and what the consequences of said abuse will be. Only with such a legal framework in place will the technological be able to move ahead while offering patients some level of comfort regarding the confidentiality of their data.
And as for the techology, it must have, at a minimum, the following features (IMO):
David
If you're interested in Perl Advocacy, you might want to join the Perl Advocacy mail list. Send the message "subscribe advocacy" to majordomo@perl.org.
David