« Living With Schizophrenia | Main | Small study indicates psychotherapy may benefit depressed mothers of children with mental illnesses »
July 02, 2008
Psychiatrist takes issue with NYTimes editorial supporting conversion to electronic medical records
In a letter to the editor of the New York Times (6/30, A18), psychiatrist Deborah C. Peel, M.D., founder and chair of Patient Privacy Rights, writes in response to the Times editorial, "Our Pen-and-Paper Doctors", that physicians "are loath to add sensitive records to a system that uses personal health information against patients."
That is because "Americans' personal health information is used to deny jobs, promotions, insurance, and credit. Millions avoid treatment for cancer and mental illness, putting their lives at risk, because they have no privacy."
Pointing out that "[e]lectronic health information is a very valuable commodity, and millions of records could be stolen or transferred in a millisecond," Dr. Peel notes that the "data-mining industry makes millions selling our health information, claims data, prescriptions, and genetic information to insurers, employers, researchers, drug companies, and data aggregators." She concludes, "Doctors won't buy systems that harm patients."
Related Links:
- "The Digital Doctor Will See You Now," Deborah C. Peel, M.D., New York Times, June 30, 2008.
- "Our Pen and Paper Doctors," New York Times, June 24, 2008.
Posted by admin at July 2, 2008 12:56 PM