Due to a spate of recent security lapses, private information on hundreds of thousands of patients has been compromised. But institutions are reluctant to clamp down on security too tightly, for fear that doing so could get in the way of patient care. The stream of privacy breaches also threatens to undermine the healthcare industry’s effort to adopt electronic medical records, a push meant to make medical care safer and more convenient for patients. The piece also provides a discussion forum where readers can share their thoughts.
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology is seeking volunteer members for 10 work groups. The work groups will help the organization put together certification criteria and testing programs for a number of electronic health records products, including two new work groups to cover behavioral health and personal health records. Other work groups looking for additional members include ambulatory, cardiovascular medicine, child health, emergency department, inpatient, interoperability, privacy and compliance, and security.
The FDA issued a warning to Philips Medical Systems about problems with manufacturing procedures for its CT and nuclear imaging systems. The problems include failures to oversee proper device design and proper procedures to handle complaints. Inspections conducted at Philips' Cleveland facility, from July 24, 2007, through Sept. 27, 2007, and from Oct. 22, 2007, through Nov. 9, 2007, revealed that the devices were adulterated, said FDA officials. The agency noted that failure to promptly correct the violations may result in regulatory action being initiated by the FDA "without further notice," including seizure, injunction and/or civil money penalties.
New York State's Department of Health has sent letters raising the specter of fines and jail time to six online gene-testing firms that offer consumers the ability to peer into their genome to assess their future risk of getting diseases such as cancer, heart disease and multiple sclerosis. Oftentimes, the services offering these DNA deep-dives are doing so without the involvement of a doctor. California health regulators are also investigating 12 complaints from the public about certain online gene testers. Regulators are concerned about the reliability of the online tests and their potential to send people rushing to their doctor demanding a cure for a fatal disease they may never get.
Plans have been put in motion by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration to set up a Web site where Louisiana consumers can compare the costs and quality performance measures of hospitals and healthcare facilities against each other. Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine outlined the costs, estimated at $500,000 annually, to the Senate Finance Committee. The Committee agreed without objection to the bill setting up the site, and the measure now heads to the full Senate for debate.
A robot in a lab at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is making spinal medicine more precise. The robot combines off-the-shelf hardware used in structural engineering that has been modified by University professors or grad students. Proprietary software drives the system. Since its development, the robot has been used frequently to study the performance potential of artificial spinal discs.