Health information privacy concerns may require legislative action.

For a variety of reasons a new sense of urgency exists for privacy rules governing the use of personal health information. Some are as follows:

• Rise in managed care
• New information and communications technology
• Concerns raised by mapping of the human genome
• Increased demand for health data
• Commercial use of health data

Increased access to health information can result in an increased risk of misuse. Stricter privacy guidelines can prevent access by those who are not bound by ethical or legal standards or who are motivated strictly by profit or curiosity.

Some patients adopt privacy protecting behavior like paying out-of-pocket or doctor hopping. Others may be reluctant to give accurate or complete health information. In the worst-case scenario, people will avoid care altogether. As a result, a patient puts him/herself at risk because of undetected or untreated conditions. In addition, without full patient participation up-front, the health information collected will be unreliable for users elsewhere in the system. Ultimately, health care initiatives that depend on complete and accurate information may be undermined.