Privacy and Security

The health care system of the future depends on the ability to securely exchange and act on health information. But how to retain the privacy of a patient’s information in this new world of electronic health records and data exchange is a question we all face as technology evolves.

Here at Medicity, no topic is more important to us than the privacy and security of health data.

That is why we continue to work to ensure that security and privacy measures keep pace with advances in technology. Our clients know that the clinical data gathered and exchanged using Medicity technology complies with all HIPAA and patient privacy regulations and is controlled by care providers and their patients.

We get some questions about whether our acquisition by Aetna means that Aetna will have access to our clients’ data. The answer is no. Our legal agreements state that we will not transfer, share, or otherwise distribute a client’s data to any third party without their express direction. And we back that up with a Data Assurance Guarantee.

Our commitment to privacy and security doesn’t stop with our own products. We are actively involved in national, state, and regional workgroups to set the standards for privacy and security in the industry. Here are some examples of our involvement:

• We chair the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN) Specification Factory Security and Privacy Workgroup.
• We are a voting member of the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST).
• We are a voting member of the IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise) standards body.
• We co-chair the State of California CalOHii Patient Consent and Informing Taskgroup.  
• We participated in 2011 as an invited panelist in the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) conference .
• We presented at the NIST HIPAA Conference on enforcing HIPAA security and privacy across regional, state, and national health information exchanges.
• We provided testimony to the HHS HIT Federal Advisory Committees on implementing security and privacy for HIE.

Bottom line: the conversation surrounding health information privacy is one that must continue. At Medicity, we will continue to work to ensure privacy and security of data remain a top priority for everyone in health care.