ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 21, 1994                   TAG: 9401210093
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: B-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

SCIENTISTS URGE RULES FOR MEDICAL DATABASES

Computer databases that hold a growing amount and variety of health information about Americans, including who has what disease and doctor ratings, must be regulated to ensure privacy and accuracy, scientists recommended Thursday.

The Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, recommended that:

Congress set the balance between database disclosures and patient privacy, with government enforcement and penalties for violations.

No database use Social Security numbers to identify patient records, because they are not legally confidential and could lead to medical information being used in such decisions as employment or insurance eligibility.

No database release information that could be linked to a specific patient except to that patient, doctors, approved researchers or other confidential databases - even if the patient wants it released to someone else.

Databases regularly analyze their information for accuracy.

- Associated Press 


 by CNB