Security a top concern for cyberspace systems
Fire walls’ let competitors coexist
Network security especially in the sensitive area of access to patient medical records is a paramount concern for community health information networks (CHINs) in both Wisconsin and Dayton, OH.
This is especially important when competing health systems are linked to the same network and even more when insurance companies are on-line, says Lisa Paige, RRA, director of medical information services at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.
"As a medical records professional, I have an intense fear of insurance companies accessing [patient record] information," Paige says. "Of course, they say they would never do that. It’s part of my job to make sure they don’t."
Miami Valley solved this problem by creating, in effect, a one-way electronic link. The hospital can access databases at insurance companies, but the insurers cannot access the hospital’s.
The trick, as Paige sees it, is to put up electronic "fire walls" while still providing easy access to those who truly need the information. "The whole idea behind a network like this is to get access to information quickly," she says. "You don’t want to defeat the purpose by making people go through a whole bunch of rigamarole just to get access to information they need."
The Wisconsin Health Information Network (WHIN) has several layers of security on top of any that subscribers may have already in place, says Michael Jordan, president and general manager of WHIN in Brookfield. "We have a fairly extensive enrollment procedure that requires written authorization from the information provider for anyone to access sensitive information," Jordan says. The WHIN system also generates an electronic trail that shows system administrators who has been accessing their databases. "We do regular audits on these and have yet to uncover any unauthorized access," Jordan says.
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