Technology

Privacy Laws An Obstacle to EHRs

Privacy laws are preventing hospitals in some states from adopting electronic medical records. States with medical privacy laws restricting hospitals’ abi...

Federal News Network Staff

July 16, 2009 8:01 pm

< a min read

Privacy laws are preventing hospitals in some states from adopting electronic medical records. States with medical privacy laws restricting hospitals’ ability to disclose patient information have seen an eleven percent decrease in EMR adoption over a three-year period, according to a study from Management Science. Alternatively, states without regulations saw a twenty-one percent increase. The study says privacy protection can actually help the expansion of health IT if patients are reassured.