Releases

While Texas has passed a tough new law to protect personal medical information, a new survey reveals that 80 percent of Americans are still concerned about an increased reliance on electronic health records because of the risk of identity theft and the potential they may be viewed by unauthorized health care workers, as well as current or potential employers. "Electronic records are generally more secure than paper records, but lax security controls can still exist, even with encrypted data," says Wilson Jones of the Dallas office of Thompson & Knight. Jones says the new Texas law goes beyond federal HIPAA regulations in setting heightened requirements for employee training and fulfilling patient requests, and dramatically expands enforcement penalties. "Third-party organizations that may have access to personal health information, but have never been subject to privacy regulations, could face prosecution and fines under this new law." For more information, contact Barry Pound at 800-559-4534 or barry@androvett.com.