NCVHS Recommendations on Privacy and Security for PHRs

At the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) meeting last month personal health information was a key discussion topic. The Committee drafted a letter to HHS Secretary Sebelius addressing the privacy and security of individual health information in personal health records (PHR). The Committee recommended that common national standards for PHR privacy, confidentiality, and security be developed, and believes that security standards similar to those required by HIPAA should be extended to PHRs as well. Other discussions focused on meaningful use, e-prescribing, coding, and certification.