One Issue With Aetna’s “Advantage” With SmartSource

Posted on March 17, 2008
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You’ve likely heard a thing or two in the press about Aetna’s launch of SmartSource, Aetna’s response to Google’s and others’ attempts to create online patient-managed repositories of individual health records.

Silicon Alley Insider suggests that Aetna might have an advantage in this arena for one reason in particular:

But we think there’s some overlooked upside for Aetna here. According to this AP story, neither Microsoft nor Google is covered by the HIPAA, the federal law that protects the privacy of consumers’ medical records. The law creates standards of use for medical information and applies it to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers, among others.

That, of course, assumes that Aetna would actually heed HIPAA. My own claims nightmare might suggest that pesky legislation and regulation might only be heeded when there is a financial incentive to do so.

Tags: HIPAA, Privacy, SmartSource
 

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