Why It's Crazy to Want Your Most Confidential Information Put into An Electronic Medical Records System

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Besides the reasons I outlined in posts retrievable by these query links (link, link), there's this from ZDNet.com:

Microsoft warns of first critical Windows 8, RT security flaws

It's been less than a month since Windows 8 and Windows RT-powered Surface tablets were launched and went on sale, but Microsoft is already warning that the two next-generation operating systems contain critical security vulnerabilities that are due to be patched this coming Tuesday.

Among the various flaws, versions from Windows XP (Service Pack 3) all the way through to Windows 8 are affected, including versions of the Office suite, and versions of Windows Server. Released only in September, Windows Server 2012 requires patching to maintain maximum security.

The latest vulnerabilities include three critical security vulnerabilities for Windows 8, and one critical security vulnerability for the Surface-based Windows RT operating system. These flaws are considered "critical" and could allow remote code execution on vulnerable systems.

I note that Windows XP was released worldwide for retail sale on October 25, 2001, which was more than eleven years ago.  That security vulnerabilities are still being patched in 2012 is stunning.  Also, many enterprise information systems and clients (workstations) run on Windows-based servers and local machines.

By simple reckoning, it's likely we'll be seeing critical security vulnerabilities in Windows 8 - in 2023.

In my opinion, the (still not yet realized) convenience of being able to have one doctor transmit your record to another, thus avoiding a FAX machine, the Postal Service or the telephone, and the trillion-dollar "solution" to the nearly non-existent problem of being found unconscious in some foreign land with no ID, no companions, and some hidden, critical medical condition not findable on physical exam and bloodwork, EKG, x-rays etc. that will cause death if not treated in minutes, is not worth the risk of having one's most private information spilled all over the Internet.

EHR's should not be accessible on networks beyond a physician's office or the robustly encrypted network of a hospital, and the information security personnel kept on very short leashes, for the foreseeable future.

-- SS