Knowledge Center

ANN ARBOR, MI, and WASHINGTON, DC, May 23, 2022 — As patients increasingly permit access to their health information by way of third-party applications (apps), the
need to ensure the privacy and security of this data has exponentially grown. Many of these apps are not covered entities under HIPAA and are not bound by any current privacy and security requirements. In response, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) announce the launch of the “THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK” campaign.

The two organizations fully support a system where data flows seamlessly to improve access and achieve better health outcomes, but they recognize consumers need to understand how to mitigate their risk. This initiative, which includes a 5-step checklist, is designed to educate and empower consumers to take the appropriate precautions prior to the transmission of health information to third-party apps. The checklist is non-branded and is made available at no cost to any organization seeking to educate and protect their constituents.

“With new federal regulations allowing patients to direct providers and health plans to share their health information to a third-party app, there is concern that unintended disclosures of sensitive data could occur,” said Russell Branzell, President & CEO of CHIME. “Providing consumers with this simple-to-use checklist with recommended actions they can take before transmitting their data is a service we feel will help consumers protect themselves and their personal information.”

“We hope that critical consumer and patient organizations personalize this resource with their brand, widely disseminate it to their members and strongly encourage its use,” stated Charles Stellar, WEDI President and CEO. “The “THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK” checklist will be made freely available on the CHIME and WEDI websites. We urge providers, health plans and health care vendors to leverage their communication channels to distribute this collateral directly to consumers.”

​Learn more about this initiative or download the customizable “THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK” PDF resource on the CHIME website here or on the WEDI website here.

About CHIME
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), chief innovation officers (CIOs), chief digital officers (CDOs) and other senior digital health leaders. CHIME includes more than 5,000 members in 56 countries and two U.S. territories and partners with over 160 healthcare IT businesses and professional services firms. CHIME and its three associations provide a highly interactive, trusted environment that enables senior industry leaders to collaborate, exchange best practices, address professional development needs and advocate for effective use of information management to improve health and care in their communities. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.

About WEDI
WEDI was formed in 1991 by then HHS Secretary Dr. Louis Sullivan to identify opportunities to improve the efficiency of health data exchange. WEDI was named in the HIPAA legislation as an advisor to the Secretary of HHS. Recognized and trusted as a formal advisor to the Secretary, WEDI is the leading authority on the use of health information technology (IT) to efficiently improve health information exchange, enhance care quality, and reduce costs. With a focus on advancing standards for electronic administrative transactions, and promoting data privacy and security, WEDI has been instrumental in aligning the industry to harmonize administrative and clinical data. For more information, please visit wedi.org.

Contacts:
Mari Savickis
Vice President, Public Policy CHIME
202.294.3828 Mari.savickis@chimecentral.org

Robert Tennant
Vice President, Federal Affairs
WEDI 202.368.6275 rtennant@wedi.org