Editorial: Privacy at stake

Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2007 | 7:05 a.m.

The Bush administration is pushing for creation of a national database for Americans' medical records, but federal auditors say the administration lacks any detailed plans for making certain that patient privacy is protected.

The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, said in a report released earlier this month that local, state and federal organizations and agencies that would be involved in an electronic database lack an overall understanding of each other's privacy requirements. And although the Bush administration has made general policy statements, it still has not provided a clear strategy for how these organizations are to work together to ensure that patients' personal medical information is protected.

According to a story by The New York Times on Sunday, President Bush has said he insists that a national electronic database for medical records "be secure and private." But beyond platitudes and general statements, there is no concrete plan for making it so, the GAO reports. Bush in 2004 said that he hoped all Americans would have a "personal electronic medical record" by 2014.

Health and Human Services Department information technology officials denied the report's conclusions and told the Times that the department is "very committed" to providing patient security. But Mark Rothstein, chairman of a federal health information policy advisory panel, told the Times that "a sense of urgency" regarding patient privacy is lacking among Health and Human Services officials.

It is ironic that the Bush administration - one of the most secretive administrations in history - seemingly feels no pressure to ensure that Americans' medical records are kept private. Then again, Bush has never placed much value on privacy for everyday Americans. This is the administration, after all, that is still fighting to secretly monitor domestic communications without court orders.

It is hard to imagine information that is more personal and private than one's medical records. The private sector is "racing ahead" with creating these electronic databases, Rothstein said. The federal government must work faster to implement the systems that will keep these records secure and private.