Hey.. before we get going.. datapalooza 2023 is coming up! Register now!!
CMS has released a Request for Information; National Directory of Healthcare Providers & Services which is due in a few days. This is a wonderful RFI because it shows that CMS leadership understands the issues and limitations of the current directories, NPPES and PECOS, and are committed to improving it.
If you use clinical provider directory data , especially with NPPES endpoints, or something else central to this RFI, please take the time to comment now!
In other news, the HHS Office of Civil Rights has released an bulletin on the Use of Online Tracking Technologies by HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates.
This is a wonderful culmination of work from the Light Collective and my co-founder Andrea Downing. We have been working on getting HHS and OCR to acknowledge that Facebook’s use of trackers was a critical part of their ability to infer clinical conditions of their patients.
It will take years for hospitals to start removing data trackers from their PHR systems, but it now clearly possible for patients to submit HIPAA complaints based on the screenshots of privacy badger on PHR websites!! Privacy Badger is a great tool from the EFF that allows you to see what outside trackers are embedded in the websites you visit!
If you would like, please enjoy my Linked In Live video on these two topics.