Using the Internet Safely For Seniors

Online Personal Health Records

There is a push by the government, doctors, and insurance companies

to get all medical records online. The benefits are obvious: records

could be combined to provide the best overall medical history of a

patient, there could be instant access to critical information in emer-

gencies, and so on.

But placing your medical records online also leaves you extremely vul-

nerable if the database holding your records is compromised. There is

a lot of conjecture about how secure these records will be, but the real-

ity is we have significant data breaches of all types of secure records

and databases, even in the most sensitive military and national security

records.

You may have received a letter from Health and Human Services invit-

ing you to sign up with a company that provides PHR (Personal Health

Record) services, stating that the companies will guarantee your pri-

vacy. Be very cautious.

The quotes below are from the Department of Health and Human

Services brochure at http://www.medicare.gov/phr.

➟ “Since you will have a unique user ID and password,

only you will be able to view your record. Most com-

panies that provide PHRs offer a secure site to protect

and keep your information safe.”

➟ “Most health care providers and Health Plans who

offer PHRs must give you a Notice of Privacy

Practices, which tells you how they keep your per-

sonal information private and safe.”

The use of the word “most” in these statements is very concerning,

because this clearly means “not all.” If you choose to register for

a Personal Health Record, understand that these records may be

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Part III: Protecting Your Wealth and Your Health