[IP] Re: Americans' medical files go digital, by way of Asia

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Peter Bachman <peterb@cequs.com>
Date: April 19, 2009 11:45:55 AM EDT
To: dave@farber.net
Subject: Americans' medical files go digital, by way of Asia

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The distinction is between personally identifiable information (which
include medical identifiers like DNA,etc) , and medical information
related to various reasons that people seek medical care.

It does not matter who transcribes oral to digital transcriptions as
long as the transcription is accurate.

For example, consider a parents description of sticking a paper clip
into an electrical outlet that caused an injury. That would merit a
description in a SNOMED code of physical force injury caused by
alternating current. You don't care that someone can translate this
from oral to digital format, and in fact could be public in a list of
incidents of people being injured by sticking paper clips in a.c.  
outlets.

It's not the information that needs to remain private, it is our
personal identification or linkage with that information that needs to
remain private, if that data goes along with the medical information,
then the risk is always present no matter where the data is stored or
sent in any format. Once it has been de-identified, it is just medical
information.

peterb@cequs.com


David Farber wrote:

Also what guarenntees do we have that our information will remain
private. Does Philipenne law protect it?
> sjf
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: "lynn" <lynn@ecgincc.com> Date: April 19, 2009 9:02:13 AM EDT
> To: dave@farber.net Subject: Americans' medical files go digital,
> by way of Asia
>
> http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-fg-philippines-transcribe19-2009apr19,0,902588.story
>
>
>
> Americans' medical files go digital, by way of Asia
>
> snip
>
> The Philippines hopes to reap big profits from his
> multibillion-dollar push to computerize health records.
>
> The business of transcribing American medical files employed 34,000
> Filipinos and generated $476 million in revenue last year, said
> Ernesto Herrera, a former senator who heads the Trade Union
> Congress of the Philippines. He expects the number of
> transcriptionists to more than triple, and annual billings to jump
> to more than $1.7 billion, by the end of next year.
>
> "Outsourcing is unavoidable, because the cost in the U.S. is just
> too high," Herrera said. Filipinos can beat Indians in the race for
> medical transcription work from the U.S. because, as a former
> American colony, the Philippines is more familiar with American
> accents, Herrera said. This country also has a vast pool of jobless
> medical workers who need little additional training to take
> dictation from American doctors, he said.
>
> snip
>
> It is my understanding the stimuls bill is supposed to help people
> in this country, not other countries.
>
> I'm sure, given the opportunity, there are many American workers
> who would gladly take the same pay as outsourced workers just to
> have a job.
>
> It was also my understanding from speaking to several people
> working in several senators offices that the stimulus is supposed
> to stay in this country. What sleight of hand is being used to move
> it to another country?
>
> Lynn
>
>
>
>
>
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