For Immediate Release August 27, 2007
Contact: Ashley G. Katz, MSW 512.732.0033 or 512.897.6390
MODERN HEALTHCARE MAGAZINE NAMES DEBORAH PEEL, MD, FOURTH MOST POWERFUL PERSON, BEATING OUT MANY INDUSTRY LEADERS
Austin, TX - August 27, 2007 - Deborah Peel, MD, founder and chairman of Patient Privacy Rights, was named #4 of 100 of the Most Powerful People in Health Care by Modern Healthcare magazine.
Modern Healthcare magazine has named Dr. Deborah Peel, founder and chairman of Patient Privacy Rights, as number 4 on the list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Health Care. The list places Dr. Peel, a “relative unknown…who leapt to the top tier”, alongside Sister Carol Keehan, Governors Mitt Romney and Arnold Schwarzenegger, President Bush, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Bill Gates. With over 12,600 nominations and 265,000 votes cast, Dr. Peel clearly stands out as the only consumer advocate elected to this list
Dr. Peel, a practicing psychiatrist of over 30 years, founded Patient Privacy Rights in 2003 after reading the fine print of the so-called “Privacy Rule” of HIPAA. This “Disclosure Rule” legally authorized more than 4 million entities to use and disclose our personal health information without our consent and over our objections. This exposure propelled the need to create a true consumer advocacy organization that would empower and educate Americans to regain control of access to our health records. Patient Privacy Rights has worked tirelessly with consumers and members of the Coalition for Patient Privacy to prevent rampant discrimination based on illnesses, diagnoses or even genetic risks of disease.
“The reality is that health records of every American are being sold every day. After hearing from patients what happens when health information goes places they don’t want it to, I knew urgent action was needed,” Peel says. “Patients shouldn’t have to fear that their records will be compromised so someone else can profit.”
“Patients and consumers have never been at the same table as Washington insiders and major corporations. That’s why Patient Privacy Rights is working tirelessly to give a voice to patients and consumers to ensure that their health privacy is guaranteed,” said Peel.
While Dr. Peel is known for her straightforward and fiery advocacy, achieving such a high ranking on Modern Healthcare Magazine’s list recognizes the power of consumers in the healthcare industry.
Patient Privacy Rights and Dr. Peel earned the attention of Congress by working cooperatively to form the bi-partisan Coalition for Patient Privacy in 2006. The Coalition includes over 40 organizations from across the political spectrum, including the Family Research Council, the Christian Coalition, the Electronic Privacy Information Center,the California Medical Association and the ACLU. Collectively, the Coalition shares the vision that Americans should control all access to their health records.
Patient Privacy Rights and the Coalition continue to educate Congress about the need for ‘smart’ legislation to ensure the right to health privacy is guaranteed and protected in federal statute. Patient Privacy Rights also promotes the use of ‘smart’ technologies that ensure consumer control of personal health information such as consent management systems and health record banking or trusts.