The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has taken two steps to implement privacy and security provisions included in the HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) Act within the past week, InformationWeek reports. The Office of National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) appointed its first chief privacy officer, and HHS posted a synopsis of a preliminary solicitation for a contractor "to carry out a sequence of related activities with the goal of understanding security risks to Health Information Technology." The proposal states that "the assurance of safety and security" is essential to moving forward with Health IT.
Full Story