What is happening with the Individual Identifier? Will we have one or not?
Currently the funding for development of a national individual identifier is on hold. According to DHHS, opinion about the unique identifier for individuals is deeply divided. The Clinton-Gore Administration deemed it wise to wait on the establishment of an individual identifier until after the other HIPAA security and privacy provisions were in place. Since the intent of the individual identifier is to positively identify the individual’s health information across the care continuum, adequate security and privacy measures will need to be in place first to ensure no loss in privacy or security occurs with the use of the individual identifier.
