The Consumer Partnership for eHealth, led by the National Partnership for Women & Families, has pushed for minimum standards in electronic health records to ensure they collect enough information on patient ethnicity and other factors to inform care. It’s also demanded that records be made available to patients in multilingual formats that explain jargon in layman’s terms, said Mark Savage, the director of health information technology policy and programs.

This blog post by National Partnership President Debra L. Ness reminds parents and caregivers about the value of health data access especially during back-to-school season.

Health information technology plays a critical role in national efforts to reform health care, says Mark Savage, director of health information technology policy and programs at the National Partnership of Women and Families, a nonprofit advocacy organization in the District of Columbia that leads the Consumer Partnership for eHealth.

“These systems can lead to better health, better care and better value for people across the country,” says Savage, noting that many consumers want online access to their records.

“If somebody gets access to your checking account, the bank will reimburse you. If somebody gets access to your health information, there’s a broader range of things that can happen and it doesn’t necessarily un-ring that bell,” says Mark Savage, director of health IT policy and programs with the National Partnership for Women & Families.

Mark Savage, a health information technology expert at the National Partnership for Women & Families, a nonprofit advocacy group in Washington, said it’s too early to assess UCLA’s digital defenses until more details are known about what the hackers did and what protections were in place.

“With the Get My Health Data Campaign, we are creating a concerted push from consumers that will liberate digital health information so it gets into the hands of patients and family caregivers, allowing them to more fully engage in their health and care,” said Christine Bechtel in a news statement.

Mark Savage, Director of Health Information Technology Policy and Programs at National Partnership for Women & Families, spoke with EHRIntelligence.com about his organization’s disappointment with the proposed meaningful use modifications as well as the near- and long-term disadvantages of limiting patient access to health information.

Christine Bechtel, advisor to the National Partnership for Women & Families, made the case for patient control of their own data. “The fact is, as the patient, I am the only one present at all of my healthcare encounters – so I can potentially amass more data, more quickly and more comprehensively than any single healthcare entity can today because I know where it all is,” she said.

Witnesses for Wednesday’s Senate HELP hearing on health information exchange have been announced. They include Cerner Chief Executive Neal Patterson; Christine Bechtel, advisor to the National Partnership for Women & Families; Tom Payne, board chair-elect of the American Medical Informatics Association; and Craig Richardville, chief information officer of the Carolinas Healthcare System in Charlotte.

“We want to get as much information from tracers by July 4″ to show that there is demand, said one movement leader, Christine Bechtel, former vice president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, and still an advisor to that organization.

“Harnessing the power of technology to improve health and care doesn’t have to be complicated; you don’t need the latest Fitbit, Apple Watch or GoogleGlass for technology to make an impact on your life. Every day, patients and families around the country use digital health data in less flashy but effective ways to help them manage their health or care for a loved one,” said Dena Mendelsohn, health policy analyst at Consumers Union, and Erin Mackay from the National Partnership for Women & Families.