Workshop: Securing Information Technology for Healthcare

Dartmouth College, Hanover NH

Investigators

Abstract

Health information technologies (IT), including electronic health records (EHRs) and mHealth technologies, are expected to play a key role in improving the quality of health care delivery for Americans and improve the performance of health care delivery. The federal government has committed $27 billion dollars over the coming decade, to fund the implementation of EHRs through an incentive-based program for organizations that demonstrate "meaningful use" of certified EHR technology. Though the potential for EHRs to improve the quality of health care is generally understood, researchers suggest that concerns about the confidentiality and privacy of EHRs present significant barriers to their effective use. As health IT becomes more widespread, health information breaches are increasing, as is public attention to such breaches, as are general concerns about the privacy and security of health information. The objectives of this workshop, the second iteration of the Securing Information Technology in Healthcare (SITH) workshop, are to: advance our understanding of the causes and consequences of security breaches; and promote the security and privacy of health information. feedback from workshop participants to a focused post-workshop survey, and a short after-action report. These products will provide the basis for an article summarizing the key ideas of the workshop for a relevant journal (e.g., IEEE Security & Privacy).