The effects of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy rule on influenza research using geographical information systems

Tellman, Norisse and Litt, Eric R. and Knapp, Caprice and Eagan, Aaron and Cheng, Jing and Radonovich, Lewis J. (2010) The effects of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy rule on influenza research using geographical information systems. Geospatial health , 5 (1). pp. 3-9. ISSN 1970-7096

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Abstract

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule was enacted to protect patients’ personal health information from undue disclosure. Despite its intention to protect patients, recent reports suggest that HIPAA restrictions may be negatively impacting health research. Quantitative, visual geographical and statistical analysis of zip code geographical information systems (GIS) mapping, comparing 3-digit HIPAA-compliant and 5-digit HIPAA-non-compliant simulated data, was chosen to identify and describe the type of distortion that may result. It was found that unmitigated HIPAA compliance with HIPAA mapping rules distorted the GIS zip code data by 28% leading to erroneous results. Thus, compliance with HIPAA privacy rule when mapping may lead investigators to publish erroneous GIS maps.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), influenza, infectious disease, outbreak, infectious disease transmission, geographical information systems
Subjects:	600 Tecnologia - Scienze applicate > 610 Medicina e salute (Classificare qui la tecnologia dei servizi medici) > 614 Medicina legale; incidenza delle malattie; Medicina preventiva pubblica 600 Tecnologia - Scienze applicate > 610 Medicina e salute (Classificare qui la tecnologia dei servizi medici) > 614 Medicina legale; incidenza delle malattie; Medicina preventiva pubblica > 614.5 Incidenza di specifiche malattie e tipi di malattia e misure pubbliche per prevenirle 600 Tecnologia - Scienze applicate > 610 Medicina e salute (Classificare qui la tecnologia dei servizi medici) > 616 Malattie (classificare qui la Clinica medica, la medicina basata sull'evidenza, la Medicina interna, la Medicina sperimentale) > 616.2 Malattie del sistema respiratorio 900 Storia, Geografia e discipline ausiliarie > 910 Geografia e viaggi > 910.285 Geographic information systems
Depositing User:	biblioteca 7
Date Deposited:	05 Apr 2011 13:30
Last Modified:	05 Apr 2011 13:30
URI:	http://eprints.bice.rm.cnr.it/id/eprint/3142

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