Healthcare Information Privacy and Security: Regulatory Compliance and Data Security in the Age of Electronic Health Records

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

The Long-Awaited Manual

There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.

—Alfred Hitchcock

I was a veteran of the information technology world, and IT security had become my specialty—it was a domain I particularly enjoyed. I ventured into the healthcare space to work on a project that was driven largely by the HITECH Act (discussed in Chapter 2) and financial incentives related to the implementation and “meaningful use” of electronic medical record (EMR) systems.

 Note  An electronic medical record (EMR) is a system used by a provider to manage patient care. An electronic health record (EHR) is the set ...