For a change, the unwieldy U.S. bureaucracy might save the day. Or at least offer us a reprieve in the battle to protect our medical privacy.
I’ve updated you several times on the impending threats to your medical privacy in recent months, and the new regulations kicked into gear by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996). Well, apparently, I’m not the only one sending up red flares.
When Tommy Thompson’s grand plans to convert all medical records into an electronic form that could be accessed anywhere, anytime, were revealed, a few other feathers were ruffled, too. Namely, the feathers at the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The GAO has uncovered a litany of potential problems with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plan.
Maintaining privacy and security standards is one of them, which you and I share.
Other sticking points include a possible breach of anti-kickback laws and the invitation this kind of information-sharing might give to setting up abusive or illegal arrangements. For example, hospitals or drug companies might try to provide doctors with free services, like information technology resources for their clinics, which may lead the doctors to refer more patients their way. That’s a big one — very illegal.
Those are just a couple of the places where this internal government watchdog department — assigned with risk assessment and impact analysis of big political ideas — has found fault with the plan. There’s 64 more pages where they came from, not to mention weekly memos flying back and forth between the offices of the GAO and HHS.
While the GAO doesn’t have the authority to put the kibosh on the whole thing, they do wield some power. Stay tuned for more information as it crops up Surely, the day will come when they figure this mess out. And in the meantime, practice keeping your records as private as possible. When it’s all said and done, maybe we’ll end up on the winning side of the coin after all.
At-risk youth
Q: I’m seeing advertising for HGH everywhere — even on cable TV. I’m tempted, but would like to know what you recommend to your patients.
JVW: I haven’t, in good conscience, been able to recommend the use of HGH for anti-aging purposes as a general rule. HGH increases the blood level of a substance called insulin-like growth factor-1. Studies have shown that high levels of this substance are also associated with an increased risk of breast and prostate cancer.
Of course, I am also an advocate of health care freedom, and I sometimes have patients who insist on using HGH, and I do oblige. But I make sure that they are aware of the risk and the studies before they get started. I perform as much careful testing and follow-up as possible to monitor for the development of cancer. And I advise them to take a “full load” of cancer-preventing nutrients, follow a healthy anti-cancer diet, and get plenty of exercise.
What is HGH?
HGH, short for human growth hormone, is a natural substance produced in our bodies that does just what its name implies helps us grow. It’s also critical to tissue repair, muscle growth, brain function, bone strength, energy, and metabolism. Production of HGH peaks in adolescence and gradually declines with age. Levels can also be impacted by stress, sleep, exercise, food intake, and sugar levels.
A 1990 study seemed to indicate that supplemental shots of HGH in otherwise healthy adults was an anti-aging miracle. However, subsequent studies have pointed to numerous negative effects, particularly in increasing the risk of developing breast and prostate cancer.
Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing
Sources:
“HHS’s Efforts to Promote Health Information Technology and Legal Barriers to Its Adoption,” The Government Accountability office (www.gao.gov), 8/13/04
Yu H, Rohan T. “Role of the insulin-like growth factor family in cancer development and progression.” Natl Cancer Inst 2000; 92(18): 1,472-1,489
