In health IT circles, most of the talk about EMRs stimulus funding is whether the money will stretch far enough to get the blasted things into place. But outside of the health IT world, the very notion of rolling out a universal EMR network isn't acceptable, particularly if they're not sure strong enough privacy protections will be put in place.

That seems to be the thinking behind a new class-action suit filed last week, which claims that the stimulus act puts patient privacy in danger by requiring all U.S. providers to roll out EMRs. Lead plaintiff Beatrice Heghmann argues that getting all citizen medical records online will put patients at a much greater risk of having their personal health information exposed.

The action, which names HHS Secretary Kathleen Sibelius, White House Office of Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann Deparle and CMS administrator Charlene Frizzera, wants to block the federal government from handing out the $22 billion budgeted for EMR subsidies.

To learn more about the suit:
- read this Healthcare IT News piece

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