Privacy. Are there any guarantees?

Many health plan members worry that their medical records no longer are kept securely in paper medical files. Electronic data, they argue, is too easy to access. But healthcare administrators often need to use personal medical information to follow trends in outcomes, quality management and utilization review. Is there a balance? Kathleen O'Connor reports that Donna Shalala, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, recently provided some suggestions for safeguarding medical privacy in the information age.