JustHealth

The World Privacy Forum has published two new documents today, a legal and policy analysis of the privacy issues in Personal Health Records (PHRs), and a consumer advisory about the serious privacy risks some PHRs pose.

Much of the discussion around PHRs has been oriented toward how they benefit consumers, with almost no meaningful or detailed discussion of the privacy risks. As a result, few consumers have the ability to make genuinely informed decisions about these tools. For example, many consumers assume that because a PHR involves health-related information, that special privacy protections must apply. However, there are different  varieties of PHRs and PHR companies, some of which do not fall under the federal privacy rules that are usually applied to health information. 

Both documents are available at the World Privacy Forum's home page or via our Personal Health Record landing page: http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/personal_health_records.html .

*Document URLs/permalinks:

- Personal Health Records: Why Many PHRs Threaten Privacy  (16 pages) http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/pdf/WPF_PHR_02_20_2008fs.pdf 

 - Consumer Advisory: The Potential Risks in Personal Health Records Every Consumer Needs to Know About  (5 pages)  http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/pdf/WPF_PHRConsumerAdvisory_02_20_2008fs.pdf