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A12 Technology
Saturday 12 december 2020
Medical privacy changes would smooth info sharing in crises

By RICARDO ALONSO- posal addresses problems
ZALDIVAR regulators have been grap-
Associated Press pling with for years.
WASHINGTON (AP) — “I don’t think these are par-
Urged on by hospitals, tisan changes to the rules,”
doctors and patients, U.S. she said. The principal
health officials are propos- changes seem to reflect
ing changes to medical pri- “reasonable and mea-
vacy rules that could ease sured approaches.”
information sharing in crisis McGraw is now chief regu-
situations. latory officer with Ciitizen,
Trump administration offi- a health technology com-
cials at the Department of pany she cofounded that
Health and Human Servic- helps people collect and
es say their proposal, being organize their medical re-
released Thursday, adapts cords to help them get the
lessons learned from the best treatment.
opioid epidemic and the Roger Severino, who cur-
coronavirus pandemic. rently heads the HHS of-
There’s no way the rule can fice that oversees medical
be finalized before Presi- privacy protections, said a
dent-elect Joe Biden takes companion set of chang-
office, but the officials are es in the proposal would
hoping the incoming ad- In this Jan. 24, 2018, then-acting Health and Human Services Secretary Eric Hargan speaks to make it easier for patients
ministration will support the reporters at the Kentucky Governor’s Mansion in Frankfort, Ky. to get access to their medi-
changes and see them Associated Press cal records.
through. Health Insurance Portability tient. That would address suicide. Or it could facilitate For example, current rules
“These are needed, un- and Accountability Act, the situations such as parents contact tracing, as when a give medical offices 30
controversial, bipartisan re- statute behind the medi- trying to help an adult child nursing home patient trans- days to respond to a pa-
forms to these regulations,” cal privacy rules people who’s just come out of de- ported to the hospital for a tient’s request for records.
Eric Hargan, deputy HHS run into at hospitals, phar- tox for an opioid overdose. heart problem tests positive That would be shortened
secretary, said in an inter- macies and in their own People recovering from for COVID-19 during routine to 15 days. “With the inter-
view. “This was based on doctor’s offices. While pro- overdose are at high risk of screening. net age, 30 days is a relic of
our request for information, tecting sensitive personal relapse, and officials said — In a health care system past times,” said Severino.
and we got a lot of feed- information, the law, widely current rules have had the that’s notoriously compart- Also, if a patient authorizes
back.” known by its initials HIPPAA, unintended consequence mentalized, the changes a doctor to see medical
Some of the proposals also has also generated piles of of chilling potentially life- would make it easier for a records from another pro-
would affect everyday pa- paperwork and chronic un- saving communication. hospital or medical office vider, the proposed rules
tient interactions. One that certainty about what is and — A subtle wording change to provide pertinent details stipulate that the doctor’s
many people might notice: isn’t permitted. would encourage sharing about a patient’s condi- office — not the patient —
Patients would have a clear Among a series of changes of critical information soon- tion to another health care would have the responsibil-
legal right to take photos of if the proposal is finalized: er in cases where there’s a service provider. Medical ity of getting the files.
their records on the spot at — Medical personnel could serious threat of harm to the providers would also again Generally, medical offices
the doctor’s office or in the provide details about a patient or others. Legal per- greater ability to coordi- that offer access to records
hospital, if it didn’t interfere patient’s condition to fam- mission would be triggered nate with social service via electronic portals would
with care. That includes ily members or caregivers by a “reasonably foresee- and caregiving agencies. not be able to charge extra
images from MRIs. Some in an emergency if they able” threat, instead of the Privacy expert Deven Mc- for patients to download
medical offices now allow have a “good faith” belief current requirement for an Graw, a former career gov- the files. “We want to make
it, while others don’t. it would be in the patient’s “imminent” threat. That ernment lawyer who once sure entities are only charg-
The overhaul involves reg- best interest, and there’s could help when a patient was tasked with enforcing ing reasonable costs,” said
ulations under the 1996 no objection from the pa- is struggling with thoughts of the statute, said the pro- Severino.q

Google CEO says company will review AI scholar’s abrupt exit

Google CEO Sundar Pichai Gebru, a top scholar in the societal dangers of
has apologized for how a the field of AI ethics, said an AI technology used by
prominent artificial intelli- she was fired last week. Google. Gebru criticized
gence researcher’s abrupt Google has referred to it as Pichai’s memo Wednesday
departure last week has a resignation. Pichai’s note on Twitter, saying she saw
“seeded doubts” in the doesn’t call it either a firing “no plans for accountabil-
company. or a resignation but says ity” in it and because it of-
Pichai told Google em- “we need to accept re- fered no apology for what
ployees in a Wednesday sponsibility for the fact that happened to her.
memo obtained by Axios a prominent Black, female Thousands of people, many
that the tech company is leader with immense talent of them Google employees,
beginning a review of the left Google unhappily.” have signed an open letter
circumstances leading up The dispute centered showing support for Gebru
In this Oct. 3, 2019 file photo, Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to Black computer scientist around Google’s push to and accusing Google of
during a visit to El Centro College in Dallas. Timnit Gebru’s exit and how disassociate itself from a “unprecedented research
Associated Press Google could have “led a research paper Gebru censorship,” racism and
By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer more respectful process.” co-authored examining defensiveness.q