Heather Hayes reports on FCW.com about the increased likelihood of new National Health IT legislation. The legislation has been on the rocks for the past year, never making it to a vote. Now, the winds have changed.

The shift has a lot to do with politics. The Democrats became the majority party in the House of Representatives during the 2006 midterm elections, after 12 years as a minority party, and its caucus holds majority in the United States Senate. High on the Democratic agenda has been health care issues. Advocates for a National Health Information Network are optimistic that this will mean positive things for passing a new legislative framework for health IT.

One big improvement in health IT will likely be in favor of tighter privacy rights for patients. The Democrats have taken strong positions on privacy issues including the right to consent to data disclosure and the private right of action if and when a privacy breach occurs.

Michael Zamore, a senior policy adviser to Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) said the inclusion of strong privacy provisions will be critical to the passage of any health IT bill because many Democratic lawmakers believe that without strong privacy protections, health IT will fail in the long term.

“Success in transforming health care through information technology is predicated on a level of acceptance and trust by consumers,” Zamore said. “If that trust level isn’t there, then the whole IT enterprise will be set back. There’s nothing that could undo the years of effort toward a digital health information system faster than one or more highly publicized breaches that compromise patient privacy.”

For more information on patient privacy rights and the current legislation, visit the non-profit Patient Privacy Rights site. For those interested in the future of health care in the United States, read Thomas Elwood’s report in the Journal of Allied Health.

Tags: national health, health it, it legislation, health legislation, national health it legislation, privacy, patient privacy