A new resource developed by the two groups can be customized to help patients guard their data on third-party health sites.
With third-party applications gaining more access to patients' health information, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) have announced the launch of the “THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK” campaign.
The organizations are endorsing a seamless flow of data to these applications to enhance access and improve better health outcomes. Consumers must mitigate their risk, however, and the groups are offering five-step checklist designed to educate and empower consumers to take the necessary precautions before they transmit their health information to third-party apps.
This checklist is non-branded and is made available for free to any organization seeking to educate and protect its members.
“With new federal regulations allowing patients to direct providers and health plans to share their health information to a third-party app, there is concern that unintended disclosures of sensitive data could occur,” Russell Branzell, president and CEO of CHIME, said in a press release “Providing consumers with this simple-to-use checklist with recommended actions they can take before transmitting their data is a service we feel will help consumers protect themselves and their personal information.”
“We hope that critical consumer and patient organizations personalize this resource with their brand, widely disseminate it to their members and strongly encourage its use,” added Charles Stellar, WEDI's president and CEO. “The 'THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK' checklist will be made freely available on the CHIME and WEDI websites. We urge providers, health plans and health care vendors to leverage their communication channels to distribute this collateral directly to consumers.”
More information on the downloadable, customizable “THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK” PDF resource is available on the CHIME website or on the WEDI website.
Scott Mace is a contributing writer for HealthLeaders.