I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
A bill that would require security and privacy protections (pdf) related to the use of electronic medical records is on its way to Gov. Bill Richardson.
The House passed the Electronic Medical Record Act on Monday. The Senate passed it earlier in the session.
The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Peter Wirth, is part of the governor’s legislative health-reform agenda. About 15 percent of providers, or 600 physicians in New Mexico, use electronic medical records. The legislation does not require use of medical records, but puts in more privacy protection.
“I applaud the Legislature for passing this bill, which will encourage more providers to use electronic medical records because their patients’ information will be confidential,” Richardson said in an e-mail news release. “New Mexico can reduce errors and control costs by moving from paper to electronic records.”
According to the news release, the Electronic Medical Records Act:
Clarifies individual rights with disclosure of information contained in electronic medical records
Provides for the accurate retention and accessibility of electronic medical records
Allows individuals to request that their records be excluded from a record locator service
Requires the service provide a log indicating who has accessed a client’s medical record and for what purpose
Establishes electronic medical records systems as the legal equivalent of existing non-electronic medical records
The New Mexico Department of Health is now using electronic medical records in all public health offices around the state, the agency said in a news release.
Here is an update: Sen. Peter Wirth says the bill must go back to the Senate to get a concurrence, usually a formality. So it doesn’t go directly to the governor’s desk from the House.
The House, by the way, passed the bill on a vote of 61-2, Sen. Wirth says.
