Letter to Senate HELP Committee on Improving Americans' Health Data Privacy

VIA ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION – [email protected] 

September 28, 2023

Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D.
Ranking Member Co-Chair
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

RE: Improving Americans’ Health Data Privacy

Dear Senator Cassidy:

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) appreciates the opportunity to submit comments on steps needed to leverage technology to improve patient care, while safeguarding patient privacy.

BPC is a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 to combine the best of ideas from both parties to promote health, security, and opportunity for all Americans. Through our recommendations, BPC’s Health Program strives to develop bipartisan policies across a variety of health issues that improve the nation’s health outcomes, reduce rising health care costs, improve equity in health services, and make quality health care available, affordable, and accessible for all.

BPC recently responded to the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed Health Breach Notification rule regarding health data (August 2023) and your Request for Information on Artificial Intelligence (September 2023). Our remarks below draw heavily from both these comments.

Patient privacy regarding medical information has been a consistent focus for BPC for the past decade. BPC released a white paper in 2013, which discussed the significance of information technology in health care and conducted a summit in 2013, addressing the utilization of big data in health care. BPC’s work on broader data privacy includes analyses of federal and state-level legislation, including comprehensive and youth data privacy bills, and the privacy implications of specific emerging technologies, including smart homes and face recognition technologies.

BPC appreciates the opportunity to comment and please do not hesitate to contact Mikayla Curtis ([email protected]) if you would like to connect with BPC Health Program staff for additional information.

Sincerely,

 

Marilyn Serafini
Executive Director, Health

Julia Harris
Associate Director, Health

Tom Romanoff
Director, Technology