Privacy Rule

[David Frenkel]

From AHA news Aug 8, 2002   HIPAA author lobbies for hospital compliance relief, information sharing under privacy rule Primary HIPAA author Rep. David Hobson, R-OH, is urging HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson to release the final Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy rule as soon as possible, with "a reasonable timetable" and "flexibility" regarding compliance. Hobson made the request in a letter to Thompson last month. "One approach you may want to consider is allowing providers some time and flexibility to get to compliance in a non-punitive way," he wrote. "I do not want to start hitting providers, who are making good faith compliance efforts, with fines and penalties as soon as April 15, 2003." Hobson also said the final rule "ensures that hospitals can continue to share important treatment information," noting the practice has led to "reduced mortality, better outcomes, and lowered average hospital stays" and has "translated into lower treatment costs."     Regards,   David Frenkel Business Development GEFEG USA Global Leader in Ecommerce Tools www.gefeg.com 425-260-5030   The WEDI SNIP listserv to which you are subscribed is not moderated. The discussions on this listserv therefore represent the views of the individual participants, and do not necessarily represent the views of the WEDI Board of Directors nor WEDI SNIP. If you wish to receive an official opinion, post your question to the WEDI SNIP Issues Database at http://snip.wedi.org/tracking/. Posting of advertisements or other commercial use of this listserv is specifically prohibited.