Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge, 2nd Edition

298 | CHAPTER 17 The Electronic Health Record and Clinical Informatics

Finally, patient privacy is a pivotal issue to determine how far and how easy it

will be to share data across healthcare organizations. In addition to the Health

Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy rules, many states have reg-

ulations in place related to patient confidentiality. The recent experience of the

state of Minnesota foreshadows what all states will soon be facing. In 2007,

Governor Tim Pawlenty announced the creation of the Minnesota Health

Information Exchange (State of Minnesota, 2007). Although the intentions of the

exchange are to promote patient safety ...