Authorities' Role in the Development of Standards for Informatics in Healthcare

Authorities' role in the development of standards for informatics in healthcare
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Introduction
Standards are vital towards supporting the exchange and sharing of medical information between providers, healthcare workers, and healthcare departments. The standards specify the language to be used, information content, and the system design that facilitate connection of different healthcare systems. Standards categorize electronic health information to assist in quick retrieval and establish consistent medical data in the healthcare. Moreover, the standards have helped health professionals to share information that has improved in the delivery of healthcare to patients (Smith et al., 2011).
Federal role
Federal government ensures development of standards that protect the medical information of individuals. The protected health information includes the medical records, demographic, and financial information of individuals. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) govern how health information of people covered in insurance plans should be shared. The Acts forbid sharing of health information without the individual consent. The information should be disclosed for treatment and payment purposes. Moreover, the use of health information for research or marketing purposes requires individual approval (Smith et al., 2011).
State role
The state laws provide protection for individual health information based on various factors. The factors include the type of medical information, source, and the planned uses of the information...