The Health IT Now Coalition, which is co-chaired by former Congresswoman Nancy Johnson is clamoring for Congress to pass a health information technology bill such as the Wired for Technology Act. The privacy zealots are clamoring for Congress to enact greater restrictions on health information technology. This week Rep. Ed Markey (D Mass) and Rep. Rahm Emmanuel (D Ill.) introduced the Technologies for Restoring Users’ Security and Trust (TRUST) in Health Information Act (HR 5442)

Government Health Information Technology magazine explains that the TRUST bill, like the Wired for Technology bill, “would provide grants and establish a standards-setting process to foster a nationwide health information exchange network. But the TRUST bill differs from the others by calling for:

• • An opt-in system that would require patient consent before records could be kept in electronic systems.
• • Mandatory notification of any privacy breaches in health IT systems.
• • Requirements for encrypting data and taking other security measures to protect records from unauthorized access. “

The Markey bill is endorsed by the Deborah Peel, chair of Patient Privacy Rights, and Microsoft (you can draw your own conclusions.)