PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

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Citizens’ Council on Health Care

1954 University Ave. W., Suite 8

St. Paul, MN  55104

http://www.cchconline.org

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CONTACT:Twila Brase, R.N., President

PHONE:  651-646-8935

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Patient Safety Bills:: More surveillance; less care

(St. Paul, Minnesota) - The legislation being considered in a

congressional committee tomorrow is aimed less at medical errors and

more at building a national health surveillance system, according to

the Citizens’ Council on Health Care.

“This is less about safety and more about surveillance. This

initiative is just one unfortunate consequence of the so-called

medical privacy rule. Now that the rule is in effect, some members of

Congress feel free to let medical records be shared without patient

consent,” says Twila Brase, president of the Citizens’ Council on

Health Care.

On Wednesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP)

Committee will consider two patient safety bills. Sponsored by Rep.

Bilirakis, H 663 was passed by the House 418 - 6 on March 12, 2003.

The other, S 720, is sponsored by Sen. Jeffords and co-sponsored by

Senators Frist, Breaux and HELP committee chairman, Senator Greggs.

Although there are similar concerns in both bill, Brase focused her

concerns on the House bill, H 663:

* NO CONSENT: No consent is required for transfer of medical records

and other patient-identifiable data to state or regional Patient

Safety Organizations. PSOs can be government agencies or private

entities.

* DISCRIMINATION NOT PROHIBITED: Although submission of medical error

data is voluntary, the legislation does not specifically prohibit

discrimination by government regulators, insurers, or accreditation

organizations against those who do not submit patient data.

* NATIONAL DATABASE: A National Patient Safety Database will be

built. It will collect non-identifiable patient data, but could

collect identifiable data in the future.

* COMPREHENSIVE DATA SYSTEMS: Comprehensive electronic health data

systems is the goal. HHS must promote “interoperability of

information technology systems...” This falls in line with other HHS

initiatives. On July 1, HHS announced plans to create a “national

electronic health care system”, including a standardized electronic

medical record.

* TAXPAYER FUNDING: Taxpayer dollars will be used to build

computerized data systems. Federal grants to hospitals and other

health care providers for information technology ($25 million for

2004 and 2005) will be focused on those applicants who promote

electronic communication across the “full spectrum of health care

delivery”, including bar codes, electronic prescribing, and

decision-support technologies for treatment.

Brase warns:

“Voluntary participation rarely stays voluntary for long. Gentle laws

often become draconian. Medicare was once voluntary. Now seniors

can’t get Social Security unless they sign up for Medicare. Medicare

once allowed seniors to pay cash for care. Now it’s virtually

prohibited.”

“Medicare and Medicaid are in financial disarray. We expect the

federal government to eventually use the computer’s tracking

capabilities to monitor physician compliance with

government-preferred treatments.”

“Privacy is not the only concern. Access to health care is at stake.

When computers can be used to track treatment decisions,

government-imposed incentives to ration care are not out of the

question.”

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CCHC is an independent, non-profit, free-market health care policy

organization located in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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A free-market resource for designing the future of health care

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Citizens’ Council on Health Care

1954 University Ave.W., Suite 8

St. Paul, MN  55104

651-646-8935 phone

651-646-0100 fax

http://www.cchconline.org

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