Dan Rode: Training Key to HITECH Prep

The single most important step hospitals should take to comply with the HITECH Act is to retrain all employees, physicians and even volunteers on how to maintain the privacy and security of personal health information. That's the advice of Dan Rode, a regulatory expert at the American Health Information Management Association. In an interview, Rode also advises hospitals preparing for HITECH compliance to develop a detailed plan for reporting data security breaches and make sure that their business associates have similar plans in place. And he makes a strong case for greatly expanded use of encryption of electronic health records and other clinical information. Rode, vice president for policy and government relations, is a leader in the standards arena. He was among those who drafted the data standards that ultimately were incorporated in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.