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Published: March 2008

Project aims to protect personal health information

Coalition: Privacy Coalition

Consumer Action Privacy Coalition partner, the Center for Democracy & Technology, has launched a major program in collaboration with the Health Privacy Project to develop and promote privacy policy solutions for personal health information. The project hopes to deliver developments in health information technology (HIT) that have the potential to improve health care quality, reduce costs and empower consumers to play a greater role in their own care.

The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is joining forces with the Health Privacy Project, an organization headed by privacy pioneer Janlori Goldman, to address privacy concerns with regard to personal health information. The Health Privacy Project will become part of CDT and a new Project Director will lead the expanded effort.

CDT’s Health Privacy Project will take on key policy questions, including the proper role of notice and consent, the right of patients to access their own health records in electronic formats, identification and authentication, secondary uses of patient data, and enforcement mechanisms. It will address both the traditional exchange of records among providers and payers, as well as new consumer access services.

“This is a critical time for health information privacy. Technologies are being deployed and systems are being designed that will have a far-reaching impact on how personal health information is accessed, stored, and shared,” said new Director of the project, Deven McGraw. “Consumers want the benefits of HIT-enabled healthcare and they want assurances that their privacy will be protected,” McGraw said. “We can and must move forward on both fronts.”

The project will work with consumer advocates, health care providers, employers, technologists, and developers and vendors of products and services, to promote acceptance and implementation of privacy policy solutions.

Lead Organization

Center for Democracy and Technology

Other Organizations

California Healthcare Foundation | Markle Foundation through its Connecting for Health Collaborative

More Information

CDT Press Release on Health Privacy Project

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