News in brief - Dec. 8, 2008

Rep. Waxman to chair key House panel

The House Democratic Caucus elected Rep. Henry Waxman (D, Calif.) chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee over Rep. John Dingell (D, Mich.), by a vote of 137-122. Dingell had occupied the top Democratic spot on the panel since 1981.

Waxman, in seeking the committee chair for the incoming Congress, highlighted the need for more energy, climate and health system reform legislation. He has a reputation for favoring tighter environmental regulation than Dingell, whose district includes the heart of the U.S. automobile industry. Waxman, 69, is the current chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Both Dingell, 82, and Waxman favor reauthorization and expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which expires at the end of March, and agree on the need for wider health system reform.

Dingell congratulated Waxman on his success. "I will work closely with him on the issues facing the Energy and Commerce Committee and for a smooth transition," Dingell said.

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Few HIPAA complaints lead to reforms, report shows

Only 18.5% of medical privacy complaints filed with the Dept. of Health and Human Services resulted in changes to health care organizations' practices since the agency began enforcing the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in 2003.

That's according to a November review by Health Information Privacy/Security Alert, an independent newsletter that tracks the industry. HHS had received a total of 40,248 privacy complaints as of Oct. 31, according to the publication. Of those, only 7,429 led to administrative sanctions requiring the health care organization in question to modify its policies, the report said.

The analysis comes at a time when privacy advocates and health care oversight officials have criticized the HHS Office for Civil Rights and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for lax enforcement of the federal privacy statute. The HHS Office of Inspector General in an Oct. 27 report chastised CMS for taking limited action to ensure compliance with the HIPAA data security requirements.

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