HIPAA Privacy or Progress?

HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Most are familiar with it... it is the paper that you don't read at the doctor's office but still sign it. One aspect of HIPAA is to protect your privacy by limiting who can access your health information. You can learn more about HIPAA at HIPAA Frequently Asked Questions

But, is HIPAA having a negative impact on public health? Some say yes. According to an article at www.reuters.com, "Nearly 70 percent of clinical scientists in a national survey said U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA, enacted in 2003, has made research more difficult, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. And HIPAA may even be having an impact on public health, Ness said, adding that some institutions are interpreting the law so strictly that it is impeding the collection of public health information."

Sounds like it boils down to privacy or progress. Which one would you be willing to give up for the other?