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12 Jun 2004

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When private information goes abroad ....

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Dear Friends,

Here are some interesting excerpts, from an article by California
State Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont:

<If Baloch were a medical transcriber in California, her actions
would be illegal under a bill I authored five years ago. That bill
absolutely protects the privacy of medical information and holds
anyone who violates its terms responsible, both to the individuals
whose privacy they have violated and, in cases as egregious as this
one, to law enforcement. >

<When you consider that every one of these individuals or companies
was taking a cut of the action, you may begin to suspect someone,
somewhere, might be paying too much if a medical procedure costs
enough to provide five different levels of profit. But that's a
different issue.

There are just too many hucksters out there looking to make a
dishonest buck. According to newspaper accounts, the Texas company
might not have been a legitimate business at all, but simply a scam
artist.

The key here is to guarantee that the same California privacy law
that would protect the information in the first instance continues
to follow that information no matter where it travels. That's
exactly what my new legislation would do. Senate Bill 1451 would
continue to let California companies participate in the global
economy, as long as they make sure that the privacy rights of their
California customers don't get left behind.>

<Thus, if UCSF thinks that it can get a better deal for its
patients by letting transcriptionists in Pakistan or India or Idaho
do they work, it is free to do so. But every one of their sub- or
sub-subcontractors with access to private information would have to
treat it with the same care they would if they were doing the work
here in California. In addition, every person who violates our
privacy law would be liable in California's courts.

I want to make sure that Lubna Baloch and anyone else in the world
economy who gains access to our information knows, for a fact, that
if they don't follow our rules, they'll be showing up in one of
California's courts -- civil or criminal -- to pay the
consequences.>

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2
004/06/04/EDGN3709UQ1.DTL

I congratulate the winners in the MT India Quiz Contest '2004.
Details can be found at: www.mtindia.org/mtweek

Ciao!

Maj (Dr.) Amit Chatterjee, SM
Strategist / Founder ~ mailto:amit@...
MT India ~ www.mtindia.org
"The Community of MT Professionals"

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NEWS AND VIEWS :
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1) Outsourcing generates tremendous benefits

Careful analysis reveals that worldwide sourcing -- made possible
by new technologies that digitize and cheaply transmit information
around the world -- provides real benefits.

History tells us that new technologies and improved business
strategies displace jobs. For example, automobiles workers replaced
buggy makers, and ATMs, voice mail and voice recognition software
eliminated bank tellers, receptionists and medical transcription
jobs.

How does off-shoring lead to better jobs? The McKinsey Global
Institute estimates that two-thirds of economic benefits from
outsourcing services to India flow back here. Firms that outsource
generate higher profits, have more capital to invest in research
and development, become more globally competitive and are better
positioned to expand sales worldwide -- creating higher-paying
jobs.

Although our policy-makers have good intentions, their
protectionist actions could disrupt Joseph Schumpeter's process of
''creative destruction'': where the new destroys the old..

The American work force is the most productive and flexible in the
world. As new knowledge industries and job opportunities emerge,
it's important to give our workers the tools they need to be
competitive. Policies supporting lifelong learning -- not
protectionism -- will help prepare our workers for the challenges
ahead.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/editorial/8829886.ht
m
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/8905012.htm

2) EMR System, Inc. Announces Electronic Medical Records Software

EMR System Inc., makers of MyPocketEMR, announces the availability
of an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) package that meets the
growing demands of physicians. As news wires heat up with stories
of multi-million dollar solutions for EMR requirements, MyPocketEMR
provides physicians with a software tool that is affordable and
works anywhere. Using an internet based system, MyPocketEMR was
created to answer the requirements of HIPAA and meet the unique
needs of specialties across the medical spectrum.

http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2004/6/emw132776.htm

3) Mid-career dilemma...

More and more pros are now waking up to the fact that after
spending a decade or so in the confines of IT, they are wondering
whether to follow the management route or the technical path.
Some like Shivir have tasted success at a mid-career switch. The
Delhi-based project manger for a Fortune 100 firm gave up his tech
life to engage in a different ballgame. Along with his doctor wife,
the Bits Pilani alumni began his own medical transcription set-up.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/718025.cms

4) Market research - European Electronic Medical Records

In 2003, the total European EMR market (comprising software
licensing and maintenance contracts) grew by 19.2 per cent to reach
Euro 207.0 million. By 2010, the market is set to amass Euro 688.0
million with enterprise EMR systems accounting for nearly 80 per
cent of this share and primary care EMR the remainder.

If you are interested in an analysis overview providing an
introduction, research scope and summary of major findings of the
European Electronic Medical Records Markets - send an email to
Katja Feick - Corporate Communications - at katja.feick@...
with the following information: Full name, Company Name, Title,
Contact Tel Number, Email. Upon receipt of the above information,
an overview will be emailed to you.

http://www.news-medical.net/default.asp?id=2290

5) Manish Kapoor, country manager - software, Sun Microsystems
India, explained

"We are trying to rope in ISV's for building specialized
applications as additions into the StarOffice suite. This will help
us gain a significant push in specialized domains. Like for e.g. a
simple tool that includes a medical dictionary can prove to be a
boon for the medical transcription industry."

http://www.cxotoday.com/cxo/jsp/index.jsp?section=News&subsection=B
usiness&subsection_code=1&file=template1.jsp&storyid=1033

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Thank you for your interest in MT India!

The MTIndia Team
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