New Hampshire EMR privacy rule struck down

This week, the New Hampshire House rejected a measure that would have added new privacy protections to EMRs. The bill, which was opposed by providers and hospitals, would have allowed patients to block access to their EMRs and see who has viewed their records. The law would also have allowed patients to restrict the transfer of their EMR to a physician, as well as restricting the use of their EMR data in marketing efforts. Bill supports said that the bill wouldn't improve big costs, that the restrictions wouldn't be difficult to administer and that patients would have had to to pay for audits. However, critics said the measure would complicate work for physicians, add bureaucracy to the process and impose as-of-yet unknown costs.

To learn more about the bill:
- read this iHealthBeat piece

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