An advisory group for the Department of Health & Human Services has proposed recommendations for how healthcare organizations should establish user authentication for simple exchanges of patient information, which is required under the first stage of meaningful use, according to a Government Health IT news report.
The HHS' Health IT Policy Committee has recommended all healthcare organizations involved in patient data exchanges have digital credentials, such as electronic certificates, to ensure user authentications. Simple exchanges are when two users — a sender and a receiver — directly exchange sensitive electronic information to each other. The goal of the authentication process is to ensure computer systems link to the correct receiving organization's system.
The committee has been working to find a fine balance between establishing a level of confidence in identity authentication and the cost to establish such an authentication. Sooner or later, electronic health records will have to support a two-factor authentication as exchanges become more complex, according to the report.
Read the Government Health IT news report about user authentication.
Read other coverage about health information exchanges:
- ONC to Test Clinical Info Sharing Through NHIN Direct
- Maryland Goes Live With Statewide HIE
- Study Show Privacy an Obstacle in Adopting EHRs, Makes Recommendations for Better Privacy Protection
The HHS' Health IT Policy Committee has recommended all healthcare organizations involved in patient data exchanges have digital credentials, such as electronic certificates, to ensure user authentications. Simple exchanges are when two users — a sender and a receiver — directly exchange sensitive electronic information to each other. The goal of the authentication process is to ensure computer systems link to the correct receiving organization's system.
The committee has been working to find a fine balance between establishing a level of confidence in identity authentication and the cost to establish such an authentication. Sooner or later, electronic health records will have to support a two-factor authentication as exchanges become more complex, according to the report.
Read the Government Health IT news report about user authentication.
Read other coverage about health information exchanges:
- ONC to Test Clinical Info Sharing Through NHIN Direct
- Maryland Goes Live With Statewide HIE
- Study Show Privacy an Obstacle in Adopting EHRs, Makes Recommendations for Better Privacy Protection