Health Data Sharing With Social Services Raises Privacy Concerns
Proposed changes to federal health privacy rules intended to encourage information sharing with social services agencies could pose unacceptable privacy risks, provider groups and privacy advocates say.
The goal of the changes to the HIPAA privacy rule (RIN 0945–AA00) is to encourage health-care providers and social services agencies to work together to address social challenges that affect health outcomes, such as housing, nutrition, transportation, and neighborhood safety.
Expanded sharing of information with the social services sector will allow health challenges to be addressed at the source rather than in the doctor’s office, and could help reduce overall health-care spending, supporters say.
Source: Health Data Sharing With Social Services Raises Privacy Concerns
