The goal of today's healthcare organizations' information systems is open, interoperable, standards-compliant and secure information systems. As electronic data interchange (EDI) continues to gain acceptance and use, risks of protection of the confidentiality of private healthcare information have arisen. As the volume of stored healthcare information continues to grow, so too does the desire to access that information. Insurers, employers, government papers, utilization review entities, researchers, government statisticians, peer-review bodies, and patients are all demonstrating an increased...

The early years of the 21st century nd the IT industry struggling to balance a multitude of constituencies and work paradigms in a manner that assures adequate levels of enterprise security, personal privacy, mobility, economic viability and the sacrosanctness of human identity. This balance is not always self-evident. Nor does the continual barrage of industry advances suggest an imminent status quo looms near on the horizon. Here, in a series of essays dating back to the immediate aftermath of 911, that tackles these dynamic tensions in a clear and forthright manner with particular...