Tragic events highlight the necessity for healthcare facilities to prepare information-sharing systems for disasters before they strike, according to an article on the Healthcare Analytics website.
When people are displaced or away from their home there is less of a chance their records will be available to the new providers.
Electronic record sharing can also help families identify missing persons in a tragedy.
During a crisis, the secretary of health and human services can suspend certain Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations on electronic record sharing, and 72-hour waivers were granted to states in the Southeast after the hurricanes and to California during the fires. Still, a variety of difficulties remain.
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