Privacy framework is set in place by EHR providers

NEW YORK Dozens of companies and organizations that promote electronic health records have agreed on a framework, released Wednesday by the Markle Foundation, for protecting the privacy of online health records.

The framework includes audit trails so consumers can see who is looking at their records and prevents insurers, employers and others from demanding to see the information. The policies “will enable the market for information to grow while giving consumers control of personal information and protecting their privacy,” said Markle president Zoe Baird, a former Aetna general counsel, in a conference call with reporters. “It gives new entrants to the market practices to follow without having to figure it out for themselves.”

The companies include such technology and health-care companies and organizations as Microsoft, Google, WebMD, Aetna and the American Medical Association.

In the past few months, Google and Microsoft have launched services that allow users to store, manage and share personal health records. Concerns over privacy, however, have previously precluded widespread adoption of electronic records.