The United States is creating a new health information technology (HIT) infrastructure to facilitate the transfer of personal health information; but it also makes possible secondary uses, aggregation, collection and analysis. Designed well, health information exchange could lead to a more efficient, safe and effective health care system and impasse-breaking research leading to new treatments. However, without proper protections built into its foundation, the new HIT system could compromise the fundamental rights of citizens to protect and control sensitive personal health information, leading to distrust of the healthcare system and erosion of the patient-physician relationship. The stakes are high; this is not just about the future of healthcare and its reform, but whether individuals will be afforded proper and reasonable rights to control and share personal information in the digital age.
