Videos From Expo: HIPAA Roadblocks to Data Sharing Are Just `Red Herrings`

Information sharing is one of the defining hallmarks of the current healthcare age. But old thinking and outdated fears still pervade the industry and continue to impede progress.

When healthcare systems approach each other to begin discussions of integrating patient data, “people throw up roadblocks,” said Jeffrey Jarvis, MD, MS, EMT-P, FACEP, FAEMS, EMS medical director for the Williamson County (TX) EMS system, during the Data & Technology Summit at EMS World Expo, held Oct. 19, 2017 in Las Vegas.

“Of course, they’re going to scream ‘HIPAA,’” Jarvis said. “I think we probably all know that’s just a red herring that really doesn’t apply.”

The federal health IT strategic plan specifically includes EMS is a component of the larger healthcare system, Jarvis pointed out. Hear him describe the advantages of combining patient data to enhance outcomes, and how his system leverages data exchange to improve the overall patient experience, in this exclusive video brought to you by EMS World.