US physicians association issues principles to protect health information privacy

The American Medical Association (AMA) issued principles for the protection of health records and privacy as the US Congress is reportedly starting to develop a federal privacy bill soon. The AMA’s guideline is meant to ‘apply to entities other than those already considered covered entities under’ the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The AMA aims to ensure that patients have control over health information that is shared outside the healthcare system and understand how their data is being used and who has access to it. The AMA also calls for enforcement of penalties for violation of rights in order to foster and maintain patient trust in digital health tools, including smartphone applications to access their own health records.