HONOLULU, HI (July 10, 2012) — The Hawai‘i Health Information Exchange (Hawai‘i HIE) applauded the enactment today of legislation that “harmonizes” more than 50 existing state laws related to the sharing of personal health care records.
The signing of HB 1957 into law by Gov. Neil Abercrombie allows providers to more easily comply with one set of privacy standards by aligning Hawai‘i ’s health laws with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Until now, health care providers and their business associates faced a bewildering patchwork of roughly 50 state privacy laws that were extremely difficult to understand and adhere to, and sometimes caused confusion with HIPAA and other federal privacy laws. By streamlining compliance and removing perceived barriers, physicians will be more likely to exchange important patient health data.
“The new law reinforces the safe and secure exchange of clinical information and ultimately enables health care providers to improve the quality of patient care they provide without compromising privacy protections,” said Christine Sakuda, Hawai‘i HIE executive director. “We appreciate the hard work and effort made by Gov. Abercrombie, the Legislature, the state Dep. of Health, the Attorney General’s Office, and many others to establish this law.”
The electronic exchange of patient information between providers is not only efficient and effective, but it can also significantly reduce errors and duplicative procedures. The new law makes certain that providers can share health data without worrying about being in compliance with sometimes inconsistent federal and state laws.
“The new law brings the state one step closer to its goal of transforming our health care system into one that is more coordinated and patient-focused,” said Gov. Abercrombie. “Enabling our state’s physicians to securely share patient information without worrying about compliance will result in better health care for all Hawai‘i residents.”
Added Hawai‘i HIE Board President Gary Okamoto, M.D.: “The Hawai‘i HIE has made tremendous progress over the last two years to develop an efficient and secure network for the exchange of patient health information. With the new law in place, we’ll be able to successfully achieve our objectives.s, which include improving care coordination and reducing costs for both the patient and the doctor.”
The signing of HB 1957 into law by Gov. Neil Abercrombie allows providers to more easily comply with one set of privacy standards by aligning Hawai‘i ’s health laws with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Until now, health care providers and their business associates faced a bewildering patchwork of roughly 50 state privacy laws that were extremely difficult to understand and adhere to, and sometimes caused confusion with HIPAA and other federal privacy laws. By streamlining compliance and removing perceived barriers, physicians will be more likely to exchange important patient health data.
“The new law reinforces the safe and secure exchange of clinical information and ultimately enables health care providers to improve the quality of patient care they provide without compromising privacy protections,” said Christine Sakuda, Hawai‘i HIE executive director. “We appreciate the hard work and effort made by Gov. Abercrombie, the Legislature, the state Dep. of Health, the Attorney General’s Office, and many others to establish this law.”
The electronic exchange of patient information between providers is not only efficient and effective, but it can also significantly reduce errors and duplicative procedures. The new law makes certain that providers can share health data without worrying about being in compliance with sometimes inconsistent federal and state laws.
“The new law brings the state one step closer to its goal of transforming our health care system into one that is more coordinated and patient-focused,” said Gov. Abercrombie. “Enabling our state’s physicians to securely share patient information without worrying about compliance will result in better health care for all Hawai‘i residents.”
Added Hawai‘i HIE Board President Gary Okamoto, M.D.: “The Hawai‘i HIE has made tremendous progress over the last two years to develop an efficient and secure network for the exchange of patient health information. With the new law in place, we’ll be able to successfully achieve our objectives.s, which include improving care coordination and reducing costs for both the patient and the doctor.”
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
