title: The effects of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy rule on influenza research using geographical information systems.
abstract: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule was enacted to protect patients' personal health information from undue disclosure. Despite its intention to protect patients, recent reports suggest that HIPAA restrictions may be negatively impacting health research. Quantitative, visual geographical and statistical analysis of zip code geographical information systems (GIS) mapping, comparing 3-digit HIPAA-compliant and 5-digit HIPAA-non-compliant simulated data, was chosen to identify and describe the type of distortion that may result. It was found that unmitigated HIPAA compliance with HIPAA mapping rules distorted the GIS zip code data by 28% leading to erroneous results. Thus, compliance with HIPAA privacy rule when mapping may lead investigators to publish erroneous GIS maps.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Occupational Health and Infection Control, Veterans Health Administration, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA. nmisdary@gmail.com
authors.forename: Norisse
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tellman
authors.forename: Eric R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Litt
authors.forename: Caprice
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eagan
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Lewis J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Radonovich
mesh_terms: D003219:Confidentiality / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D015340:Epidemiologic Research Design; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D040362:Geographic Information Systems / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005843:Geography; D014943:Global Health; D020408:Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D015995:Prevalence; D015980:Public Health Practice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology