Kaye Beach
Nov 3, 2011
I attended the fourth Joint committee meeting on the effect of the federal healthcare reform laws on the state of Oklahoma.
Of course the highlight of the day, for me, was Amanda Teegarden’s presentation, Healthcare Reform –
IT, Security & Privacy Issues/Concerns , on behalf of OK-SAFE.
Amanda presented a clear, lucid and powerful 45 minute presentation of the research she has spent months working on.
The presentation laid bare the ugly guts of the federal health care reform by describing it by its most basic components.
}Health Care Reform – is really about the use of IT to implement a nationwide health information network (NHIN), that will enable the seamless flow of information across boundaries, and that allows a growing global surveillance system to function.
And that;
}Electronic Health Records - Reform is predicated on the creation of a standardized, interoperable electronic health record (EHR) on every single individual
}Cradle-to-Grave – EHRs are used for data collection, aggregation and reporting and are intended to track a person from birth to death. (Longitudinal)
}EHRs are universal and to be shared globally – not only within our government, but with foreign governments, universities, and other third parties.}Requires Standardization and Interoperability – to establish uniformity and compatibility in data collection, regardless of jurisdiction
}EHRs include each person’s genetic information – and will be used for research purposes without the knowledge or consent of the person
}Rights killing – Health care reform, and other data collection networks, do an “end-run” around search warrants and nullify our inherent rights to life, liberty and property.
The presentation was split into six sections
Part I The Federal Data Hub/IT/Digital Everything
Part II Health Care Reform Defined/National Standards/Global Adoption
Part III Office of the National Coordinator/ Government+Industry +Academia = PPPs /One “Fused” System
Part IV State Initiatives
Part V Privacy & Security
Part VI Conclusion
Your personal, medical information flows from you to the health IT data collection system to the prying eyes of the federal government and research universities to the private sector and even foreign organizations.
Especially noteworthy were the points made about the inclusion of health information into law enforcement and intelligence data fusion.
Fusion Center: A collaborative effort of two or more agencies that provide resources, expertise, and/or information to the center with the goal of maximizing the ability to detect, prevent, apprehend, and respond to criminal and terrorism activity. Source: Recommended Fusion Center Law Enforcement Intelligence Standards March 2005
Purpose – the elimination of any barrier to information exchange and sharing, regardless of jurisdiction. Information is to be shared nationally and internationally.
As noted in the notes section of slide 31;
The Fusion Center Guidelines have now been updated to incorporate public health and health care community information.
This is possible due to policy changes allowing the seamless flow of information across boundaries, and because all state systems, including the health care system use common sets of standards and are interoperable. Both the Fusion Centers and the Health Care System are NIEM Compliant – both are part of the Nationwide Health Information Network.
The result – one fused system.
Read more about the integration of “public health and healthcare communities into the homeland security intelligence and information sharing process.” here
and here- Health Security: Public Health and Medical Integration for Fusion Centers
In short, when it comes to privacy, there is none.
Slide 41 touches up our medical and genetic information used for research purposes.
There are a few other surprises and outrages contained in the presentation, so be sure to take a look at it.
Amanda concludes;
The American People Are NOT Slaves – Nor simply ‘carbon-based life forms’[as one federal document refers to us]
Government, via health care reform and other federal initiatives, is establishing a globally networked and integrated intelligence enterprise – one that includes an extraordinary amount of extremely personal, detailed information about the America people.
Government, in it’s attempt to be an all-knowing technocratic “god” and to satisfy the IT industry’s insatiable, ever-changing appetite, is doing an end-run around human dignity and nullifying our God-given rights to life, liberty and property.
And gives the joint committee seven recommendations;
View OK-SAFE’s presentation here
Go to www.okhealthcare.info for information on this and past joint committee meetings.
The Alliance for Toll Interoperability have formally filed their important Hub Request for Proposals. It has a May 2 deadline and the schedule provides for final selection by June 20, and Notice to Proceed by July 8, of an operator (or up to three operators) for three to six months of pilot operations.
By summer as many as 40 toll agencies across the US could be having out of state tolls run through hubs in a six month pilot program for a permanent clearinghouse. Over 80 companies are vying for the hub contracts in a program that should lead to seamless automatic toll collection at highway speeds across the country – potentially the biggest advance in toll collection since the first electronic toll transponders were introduced in the late 1980s.
