{"id":2593,"date":"2009-06-07T10:05:19","date_gmt":"2009-06-07T15:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pmedicine.org\/epatients\/?p=2593"},"modified":"2009-06-10T09:29:49","modified_gmt":"2009-06-10T14:29:49","slug":"dossia-microsoft-healthvault-google-healthillegal-in-nj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/participatorymedicine.org\/epatients\/2009\/06\/dossia-microsoft-healthvault-google-healthillegal-in-nj.html","title":{"rendered":"Dossia, Microsoft HealthVault & Google Health:
Illegal in NJ?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the last few days the announcement of a proposed NJ state law has made the Internet rounds.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u00b7 On or after January 1, 2011, no person or entity is permitted to sell, offer for sale, give, furnish, or otherwise distribute to any person or entity in this State a health information technology product that has not been certified by CCHIT. A person or entity that violates this provision is liable to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 for the first violation, not less than $2,500 for the second violation, and $5,000 for the third and each subsequent violation, to be collected pursuant to the \u201cPenalty Enforcement Law of 1999,\u201d P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).<\/p>\n

\u00b7 The bill defines \u201chealth information technology product\u201d to mean a system, program, application, or other product that is based upon technology which is used to electronically collect, store, retrieve, and transfer clinical, administrative, and financial health information.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Based on this definition any electronic transmission of health data must be done through a CCHIT-accredited system. It certainly does not exclude tethered or untethered PHRs. Since CCHIT has not even started looking into the certification of PHRs in general it is highly doubtful it would be able to succeed in their accreditation by 2011. And so, will every NJ user of HealthVault, Google Health or Dossia incur a $5,000 fine? Interesting question.<\/p>\n

Of course the bigger issue is the play by a NJ state assemblyman who is trying to create a state monopoly for CCHIT, an organization that has a very serious image problem (see my previous post<\/a>).<\/p>\n

We should always consider the law of unintended consequences and this rather scary effort in a single state has the great advantage of helping us consider what would happen, if indeed CCHIT became the monopolistic entity it is trying so hard to be.<\/p>\n

The proposed law, Assembly #3934 of the 213th Legislature, is sponsored by\u00a0Assemblyman Herb Conaway, Jr. Dr. Conaway, a practicing physician who has been very active as a state politician, sponsoring multiple HIT-related legislation.\u00a0He:<\/p>\n