Minutes of the Privacy and Confidentiality Meeting

Held on 23 March 2000 at 12:00 at PQ Africa Park

 

Present:

Hester Huysamen

huysamen@icon.co.za

 

Philip Hosiasohn

philiph@assistrx.com

 

Brian de Freitas

briand@mhs.co.za

 

Sue Young

ppp-awh@mweb.co.za

 

Jean le Roux

 jean@qedi.co.za

S A Society Physiotherapy

 

 

Assist/Rx

 

 

 

 IQ Health

 

 

Pharmaceutical Printers and

Publishers

 

 

QEDI

 

Apologies:

 

In attendance:

Henriette Nortje                                                         QEDI

henriette@qedi.co.za

 

 

1. Welcome

This meeting was called to evaluate the implications of recent laws and charters on the information systems within medical healthcare.

 

2. Available Documentation

(i)                 Open democratic bill as per www.pmg.org.za/odb/odb.htm

(ii)               National Patients' Rights Charter as per Department of Health

(iii)             Medical Schemes Act Regulations

(iv)              A proposed National Complaints Procedure as per Dept of Health

(v)                Promotion of access to information Act as per Dept of Justice

(vi)              Ethical Code HPCSA

(vii)            The Bloemfontein Protocols

 

3.  Identified concerns

(i)                 Funders do not respect the patients info confidentiality

(ii)                IT standards and disclaimer clauses are required for handling patient info on the web.

(iii)              Medi secure tamper proof stationery exists for the remote doctors who find they stationary being stolen for fraudulent use and that prescriptions often have to be sent back from the funder to the doctor for verification.,

(iv)              There is real value in the use of the stored medical data, but it would be difficult to get each patients permission in order to use it.

(v)                 Cases were mentioned where financial statements of patients and providers were indiscreetly swapped between medical administrators.

(vi)              The Bloemfontein Protocols from Oranjemed IPA about ' Managed Healthcare Ethics and the Law ' has not been followed up by anybody.

(vii)            Each participant in the chain of events keeps his own private notes and releases some confidential info to other parties for further transacting

(viii)          If a member pays a service provider for a diagnosis on one of his dependents, to whom does the paid for result belong

(ix)              To whom does the electronic or hardcopy results, which is attached to the patient's toe, and on which each provider adds his notes, belong

(x)                How can interested parties get access to verifying their own data and or compare it to peer statistical summaries

 

4. Proposed action

(i)                 Collect and study available material

(ii)               Try to generate more interest in this task group

(iii)             Obtain individual legal counsel

(iv)              Report recommendations to PHISC

 

5. Election of Chairman

     Hester as the convener of this meeting proposed Jean as the chairman.

     All voted in favor and Jean accepted.

    

6. Next Meeting

     Thursday, 15 June 2000. The time of the next meeting will be published on the web.

 

 

__________________

Chairperson

 

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Date