Privacy concerns barrier to VA physicians’ use of e-tools

The Veterans Affairs Department is struggling to find a balance between allowing physicians to use popular external sites like Google and Yahoo to store patient data, while also ensuring the privacy and security of veterans’ health information. Currently, the department does not allow clinical personnel to use these internet-based storage sites due to concerns about privacy breaches. However, there have been incidents in which patient information was stored on these sites, leading to data breaches. The department is working on finding a solution that allows for the use of these tools while also maintaining privacy and security.