Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Introduction Tens of millions of Americans turn to the Internet when they need help with health problems. Health professionals are often apprehensive about the reliability of online health information and wonder how consumers can possibly find good advice in the untamed wilderness of the Internet. In an environment where any quack can create a credible-looking […]
Finding and evaluating health information on the Web Editor’s note: Since this report raises so many questions about how consumers search for health information online, we asked the Medical Library Association to provide not only a guide to finding information but also examples of the best health Web sites their librarians have found. Included in […]
Are Internet users singing out for that online religion? As early as 1996, “Time” magazine documented a rich world of online religion sites.[1. “Finding God on the Web” Time Magazine, 12/16/96.] It started with the Monastery of Christ in the Desert in remote New Mexico. The depiction of that natural beauty and peace that pervades […]
“Horror Stories” News stories have highlighted various types of privacy violations related to health information. The new federal privacy regulation will address only some violations of privacy that can occur online. The following examples are violations previously reported by the press. None of them are covered by the privacy regulation since compliance with the regulation […]
About the Pew Internet & American Life Project The Pew Internet & American Life Project is a non-profit initiative fully funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Project creates original research that explores the impact of the Internet on children, families, communities, health care, schools, the work place, and civic/political life. The Pew Internet & […]
Providers and Insurers The privacy rule covers health plans and health care providers that transmit health information electronically in a standard format.[36.numoffset=”36″ Health care clearinghouses are covered entities under the regulation. However, as a practical matter, whether a clearinghouse is a covered entity would be irrelevant to most consumers, since they do not generally have […]
Introduction Nashville’s business community has been active, if not wildly successful, in attempting to catch the wave of dot.com riches in the New Economy. Nashville’s economy is service oriented, with health care and country music being the region’s dominant and highest profile business sectors.[10.numoffset=”10″ The major technology employer in the area is Dell Computers, which […]
Introduction Until the release of the federal health privacy regulation, there was little legal protection for health information – online or offline. Unlike financial records, credit reports and even video rental records, there is no comprehensive federal law that protects the privacy of medical records. For online activities, the FTC has the authority to prosecute […]
Introduction Washington, D.C., is in some ways the latecomer among the five cities studied when it comes to adapting to the Internet, but that does not mean that citizens and government officials have not been aggressive in pursuing Internet opportunities. The city is actively trying to promote dot-com development downtown through networks of entrepreneurs who […]