[Chinese Traditional Medicine] HIPPA

May 31, 2003

Hey, I don't get this encryption deal. What gives? John Garbarini

Hi John,

If you go to most of the government HIPAA websites, especially individual state sights administered by state governor's offices, you will see the gist of what HIPAA is. In a physical sense it is encrypted software configured to protect the privacy of individuals (patients/clients) whose personal health data, payment histories, addresses, phone numbers, etc. are plugged into the system. At least that was the original theory.

For your convenience, I've attached a four page paper that I put together earlier this year when I researched what HIPAA is on behalf of my wife who is a graduate student in nursing. The paper and URLs listed along the way should spell it out for you. It's cheaper than going to a weekend seminar and a lot less time consuming. You'll be up to speed in less than an hour.

The good news is that it was borne out of laudable intentions. The bad news is there were so many unforeseen consequences. One example would be that all government agencies communicate across their checks and balances boundaries with identical encrypted software. All of the government agencies and all hospitals and clinics communicate across their natural boundaries with identical encrypted software. Consent from the individual is not revisited by different agencies or entities if the different organizations already have the ability to communicate via the specific encrypted pathways, and they chose to communicate. Things are just in the developmental stages, but I believe Ken Rose and others have noted the lack of checks and balances already between research labs and government regulatory agencies such as W.H.O. and C.D.C. They now seem to speak nearly with one voice. Those of us who covet a "messy democracy" with much in the way of checks and balances are a bit unnerved by such things. My brother noted, I think correctly that it will take case law to make some appropriate adjustments. A number of people will have to get crunched by the system for such things to proceed.

Emmanuel Segmen