Bush Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bush - Article Example t this program successfully, Bush directed the Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to set up the National Health Information Technology Coordinator (Thomson, 2014). In 2005, the HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt took initiative to establish American Health Information Community, a federally chartered commission, with intent to accomplish President Bush’s aim of having majority Americans using interoperable electronic health records within 10 years. Although this initiative started off strongly during the term of Bush, it has gradually fallen off for the recent years. As per Duane Morris report (2009), privacy and security concerns were the most potential barriers to the implementation of this initiative. Issues related to unauthorized access to records and privacy concerns prevented the implementation of technology. Some other security concerns include trespassing by an outsider, theft or loss of devices like laptop or mobile phone, or theft while transmitting information through a wireless network. In order to address the General Accounting Office’s concerns regarding information privacy, HHS initiated several projects including the commission that strategically determines the certification criteria for electronic medical records. According to GAO, it is essential â€Å"to establish the high degree of public confidence and trust needed to help ensure the success of a nationwide health information network† (Psych iatric news). In addition, unresolved debates over whether to employ an individual’s Social Security number hampered HIPAA implementation standards. Issues associated with general security practices also have weaken the scope of this policy. The higher costs related to this policy also became a barrier to the implementation of the proposed change. The concerned officials indicate that hardware and software maintenance throughout the organization involves higher costs. According to the Harvard researchers’ findings (cited in