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Medical Information Security

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People tend to keep private information private as the consequences of such information being exposed are dire. Identity theft being one of the main concerns. Sometimes, it depends on the type and severity of the medical condition. In extreme cases, this could lead to public isolation. There are exceptions to this. Highly communicable and contagious diseases need to be disclosed beforehand for prevention.
Medical history records of a patient could reveal a history of mental illnesses, depression or other conditions. In an event that these people were to lose health insurance, they may find it impossible to obtain a private health insurance outside due to their pre-existing medical condition.
Computerization of data and electronic transfers of data have only increased vulnerabilities and loop holes in the network …show more content…

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) as passed in 1996. Under this act, a patient visiting a doctor for treatment must sign a statement concerning discretion of his/health information. Another act, the Medical Information Privacy and Security Act (MIPSA) was passed in 1999 which requires an audit trail for the information being released.
Another study was conducted on the privacy impact of RFID tags used in medical facilities. The primary concern here is that RFID tags can be used by an unauthorized user. The perpetrator can solicit private information or gain access to medical history records of a patient. Juels (06) offered a novel access control mechanism. A technical solution that involved the use of encryption and symmetric key was suggested.
The Fair Information Practise (FIP) policy was implemented in 1973. Under this act, there are a certain set of rules and regulations that are to be adhered to while collecting personal/private information. These regulations are to be followed by both the public and private

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