CMS to use health data in emergencies
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is adding a new routine for use of health information to eight “systems of records” or databases, to ease in identifying vulnerable individuals who may need health assistance during an emergency.
The agency has issued a notice explaining the expanded use of individual health information, as required under HIPAA. “Disclosure purposes could include emergency planning for outreach to at-risk populations and individuals during a public health emergency,” according to the notice. “For example, a public health agency could match the records with publicly available power outage data from another department or agency.” During an emergency, the records could identify individuals in a specific community who are depending on electricity to meet medical needs such as oxygen or dialysis.
The CMS databases that will participate in the expanded data sharing include the National Claims History, Medicare Integrated Data Repository, Common Working Files, Enrollment Database, Medicare Beneficiary Database, Medicare Drug Data Processing System, Long Term Care Minimum Data Set, and the Home Health Agency Outcome and Assessment Information Set.
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.