A petition from the American Health Information Management Association seeks to overturn a 16-year federal budget ban that blocks HHS from developing unique patient identifiers.
When the original HIPAA law was passed in 1996, it included a requirement to create a unique health identifier for every patient. However, privacy concerns prompted Congress to introduce a ban that prohibits HHS from using federal funds to implement this unique health identifier requirement.
Now, AHIMA has started a petition to overturn that federal budget ban and allow HHS to participate in efforts to find a patient identification solution. The petition needs 100,000 signatures by April 19 to be considered by the Obama Administration.
"EHRs have become more prevalent and have reached a stage where the lack of a patient identification strategy has become a daunting challenge that threatens patient privacy and safety," said Lynne Thomas Gordon, CEO of AHIMA, in a Journal of AHIMA report. "AHIMA is confident the technology exists to solve this problem while ensuring that patient privacy is protected. But it will require public-private collaboration and open discussion."
More articles on unique patient identifiers:
Why interoperability still eludes healthcare: Q&A with Dr. Charles Jaffe CEO of HL7
Carolinas HealthCare biometrics 'tremendously' helpful to patient ID
Reality Check: Why it is Time to Address the Patient Identification Process at the Source to Stop Bleeding Money and Putting Patients at Risk