Forced Sharing of Patient-Controlled Health Records

Abstract

This paper discusses the privacy issues regarding patient-controlled health data. Three major distinctions shape the extent of third party access to patient-controlled health records: (1) who seeks access to the data, and for what purpose; (2) where the data are located; (3) whether the data are encrypted. In some cases, further distinctions may arise based on (4) the nature of the data, (5) who initially created the data, and (6) whether the data has been shared with anyone.

Keywords: health care privacy, patient-controlled health records, privacy law