IFHRO/AHIMA CONGRESS Washington DC 13 October 2004

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IFHRO/AHIMA CONGRESSWashington DC13 October 2004

• Health information privacy
• A New Zealand Perspective

Blair Stewart Assistant Privacy Commissioner New
Zealand

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(No Transcript)
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New Zealand at a glance

• 4 million people somewhere in the SW Pacific
• About 8500 doctors, 36500 nurses/midwives
• 445 hospitals (85 public, 360 private)
• 23,825 hospital beds
• National 24/7 no fault comprehensive accident
  compensation scheme
• 21 elected District Health Boards

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DHB elections currently being held
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Digital health records in NZ

• Practically all general practices use computers
• 1999 estimated 30-40 all GPs used some form of
  EHR (EPR?) and 47.5 NZ GPs use Internet to
  support clinical practice now?
• National Health Index No assigned to everyone
• National Practitioner Index plan
• No national EHR but various local or specialised
  projects to promote interconnectivity
• Source NZ Ministry of Health, WAVE report,
  2001

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NZ Privacy Act 1993

• Law covers all personal information
• in whatever form (e.g. manual or electronic)
• in both public and private sectors
• 12 information privacy principles (based on OECD)
• Privacy Commissioner

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Privacy Commissioner

• Independent public official
• Dispute resolution
• Investigates, conciliates complaints (c 1000pa,
  lt4 proceed to a tribunal)
• Watchdog, public education, policy roles
• Issues binding codes

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Health Information Privacy Code 1994

• Sectoral code applying across health sector
• Tailored, flexible, enforceable
• 12 rules (collection, use, disclosure, security,
  access, correction, retention, unique identifiers)

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Continuing/future issues and concerns

• Difficulty of reconciling patient confidentiality
  with inexorable drive to share information

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Continuing/future issues and concerns
Diminished individual control/autonomy (might EHR
offer the converse?)
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Role of health information management/health
record professionals
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Role of health information management/health
record professionals

• In NZ a statutory role of privacy officer
  within every agency
• Encourage compliance
• Deal with access/correction requests
• Assist with investigations

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• It is critical for good privacy outcomes that
  health information professionals play an active
  role in privacy planning and implementation

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Further information

• Office of the Privacy Commissioner
• New Zealand
• www.privacy.org.nz