While other issues matter, privacy should be the top priority in setting certification criteria for PHRs, according to a task force run by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology. The CCHIT's Personal Health Records Advisory Task Force recommended not only that PHRs protect private patient information, but also that they be able to send and receive data from varied data sources including ambulatory and hospital EMRs, labs and pharmacies.

The committee's work builds on prior research done by the National Alliance for Health Information Technology, which developed standardized definitions for six key health IT terms. These include that PHRs would conform to nationally recognized interoperability standards, and also, that individuals would manage PHR data.

To learn more about the PHR task force's recommendations:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece (reg. req.)

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