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Privacy and Confidentiality

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Ethics and Information Technology: A Case-Based Approach to a Health Care System in Transition

Part of the book series: Health Informatics ((HI))

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Abstract

More than half the hospitals in the United States are implementing electronic patient record systems ([1]). The National Research Council ([2]) has estimated that the health care industry spends as much as $15 billion per year on information technology, an amount that is expected to grow by 20% per year. By 1998, there were 35 publicly traded health-information-technology companies with market capitalization of more than $25 billion ([3]). The importance of collecting, electronically storing, and using health information is undisputed. Consumers need it to make informed choices; clinicians need it to provide appropriate quality clinical care; and health plans and others need it to assess outcomes, to control costs, and to monitor quality ([4]). However, the collection, storage, and communication of a large variety of personal patient data present a major challenge. How can we provide the data required by the new forms of health care delivery while protecting the privacy of patients? Ongoing debates concerning medical privacy legislation, software regulation, and telemedicine suggest that this challenge will not be easily resolved ([5]).

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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    James G. Anderson PhD

  2. Ethics Programs, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33101, USA

    Kenneth W. Goodman PhD

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(2002). Privacy and Confidentiality. In: Anderson, J.G., Goodman, K.W. (eds) Ethics and Information Technology: A Case-Based Approach to a Health Care System in Transition. Health Informatics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-22488-6_4

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