To preserve and provide access to all types of electronic records, the National Archives and Records Admin. (NARA) has been developing an Electronic Records Archive (ERA), including a base system for fed. records and a separate system for presidential records, known as the Executive Office of the President (EOP) system. As mandated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, NARA must submit an expenditure plan to the Congress that satisfies 6 conditions. This report determines the extent to which NARA¿s FY 2008 expenditure plan satisfies the conditions and provides any other observations about the plan and the ERA acquisition. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.
Government agencies have a long-standing obligation under the Privacy Act of 1974 to protect the privacy of individuals about whom they collect personal information. A number of additional laws have been enacted in recent years directing agency heads to designate senior officials as focal points with overall responsibility for privacy. This report: (1) describes laws and guidance that set requirements for senior privacy officials within fed. agencies; and (2) describes the organizational structures used by agencies to address privacy requirements and assesses whether senior officials have oversight over key functions. The author analyzed the laws and guidance and analyzed policies and procedures relating to key privacy functions at 12 agencies.
The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) has experienced significant problems with its IT systems that support the delivery of benefits programs to farmers. In Oct. 2006, these systems began experiencing considerable delays, and by Jan. 2007, the systems became inoperable for 1 month. In response to these issues, USDA developed a near-term stabilization plan and long-term plans to modernize their IT. This report determines: the extent to which USDA¿s stabilization plan addresses key mgmt. issues, incl. tracking reported problems, estab. performance metrics and goals, and defining roles and respon.; and the adequacy of USDA¿s assessment of existing product capabilities, as well as cost and schedule est. for its long-term modernization invest.
Through an initiative known as AeDib, the Social Security Admin. (SSA) is implementing a system in which medical images & other documents that have traditionally been kept in paper folders will be stored in electronic folders, enabling disability offices -- incl. SSA's 144 Office of Hearings & Appeals sites & 54 state disabil. determination serv. -- to process disabil. claims electronically. This initiative supports a program that, in 2004, made payments of $113 billion to 14 million beneficiaries & their families. In 2004, it was recommended that SSA take steps to ensure the successful implementation of the electronic disabil. system. This report assesses SSA's status in implementing AeDib & the actions the agency has taken in response to prior recommend.
Data mining -- a technique for extracting knowledge from large volumes of data -- is being used increasingly by the gov't. & by the private sector. Many fed. data mining efforts involve the use of personal information, which can originate from gov't. sources as well as private sector organizations. The federal government's increased use of data mining since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has raised public & congressional concerns. This report describes the characteristics of 5 federal data mining efforts & determines whether agencies are providing adequate privacy & security protection for the information systems used in the efforts & for individuals potentially affected by these data mining efforts. Includes recommendations. Charts & tables.
Reviews the semiannual reporting requirements contained in the Inspector General (IG) Act of 1978, as amended. The IG Act requires each Inspector General to issue semiannual reports summarizing the results of his or her work and identifies the type of information that the reports are to contain. This review includes 27 IGs who are appointed by the President with Senate confirmation, and the 30 IGs at designated federal entities (DFE) who are appointed by the agency head. The appendices list the presidentially appointed IGs and the DFE IGs included in this review.
To ensure that essential government services are available in emergencies, federal agencies are required to develop continuity of operations plans. According to FEMA, which is responsible for providing guidance for & assessing agency continuity plans, a key element of a viable capability is the proper identification of essential functions. A number of agencies & their components did not have continuity plans in place on Oct. 1, 2002, & those that were in place did not generally comply with FEMA's guidance. This report determines the extent to which: (1) major federal agencies used sound practices to identify & validate their essential functions & (2) agencies had made progress since 2002 in improving compliance with FEMA guidance. Illustrations.
Advances in health information technology (health IT) have the potential to improve the quality of healthcare, to increase the availability of health information for treatment, and to implement safeguards that cannot be applied easily or cost-effectively to paper-based health records. However, the digitization of health information is also raising new privacy risks and concerns. Sensitive health information in digital form is more easily aggregated, used, and shared. In addition, the rising cost of healthcare and the search for efficiency may create incentives to use the information in new ways. Research has consistently shown that while the public sees the potential value of health information exchange and technological advancements, it remains gravely concerned about the privacy of their sensitive health information. As a result, it is becoming increasingly clear that ensuring public trust will be critical to the successful implementation of nationwide health information exchange. The purpose of this second edition is two-fold: 1) to educate readers about privacy concepts and 2) highlight key privacy issues facing the nation and the healthcare community as it moves towards electronic health records and health information exchange. The first three chapters are descriptive in nature, defining privacy and distinguishing it from security, defining the complex legal landscape for health information privacy, and setting the stage for the following chapters by describing the current landscape of the evolving healthcare environment. The following chapters discuss specific privacy issues and challenges in detail. The book concludes with a chapter providing a view to the future of healthcare and the association privacy implications. This is an updated version of one of HIMSS’ best-selling books on information privacy.
Advances in health information technology (health IT) have the potential to improve the quality of healthcare, to increase the availability of health information for treatment, and to implement safeguards that cannot be applied easily or cost-effectively to paper-based health records. However, the digitization of health information is also raising new privacy risks and concerns. Sensitive health information in digital form is more easily aggregated, used, and shared. In addition, the rising cost of healthcare and the search for efficiency may create incentives to use the information in new ways. Research has consistently shown that while the public sees the potential value of health information exchange and technological advancements, it remains gravely concerned about the privacy of their sensitive health information. As a result, it is becoming increasingly clear that ensuring public trust will be critical to the successful implementation of nationwide health information exchange. The purpose of this second edition is two-fold: 1) to educate readers about privacy concepts and 2) highlight key privacy issues facing the nation and the healthcare community as it moves towards electronic health records and health information exchange. The first three chapters are descriptive in nature, defining privacy and distinguishing it from security, defining the complex legal landscape for health information privacy, and setting the stage for the following chapters by describing the current landscape of the evolving healthcare environment. The following chapters discuss specific privacy issues and challenges in detail. The book concludes with a chapter providing a view to the future of healthcare and the association privacy implications. This is an updated version of one of HIMSS’ best-selling books on information privacy.
In accordance with the President's management agenda, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has sponsored initiatives to promote expansion of electronic gov't. -- the use of information technology, particularly Web-based Internet applications, to enhance gov't. services. Each initiative demands a high degree of collaboration among organizations. For four of these initiatives, the GAO was asked to determine, among other things, their implementation progress and the extent of collaboration among agencies and other parties involved. GAO determined that all four of the e-government initiatives that it reviewed have made progress in meeting the objectives and milestones of their early phase. Charts and tables.
As the first to respond to natural disaster, domestic terrorism, & other emergencies, public safety agencies rely on timely communications across multiple disciplines & jurisdictions. It is vital to the safety & effectiveness of first responders that their electronic communications systems enable them to communicate with whomever they need to, when they need to, & when they are authorized to do so. This report determines, among other things: (1) the extent to which Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) funding & technical assistance has helped to improve interoperable communications in selected states; & (2) the progress that has been made in the development & implementation of interoperable communications standards. Charts & tables.
Concerns have been raised about the privacy and security of personal info. in light of advances in info. technology and the increasingly sophisticated ways in which the gov¿t. obtains and uses info. Fed. agencies¿ use of personal info. is governed by the Privacy Act of 1974 and the E-Gov¿t. Act of 2002. These laws are based on the Fair Info. Practices, a set of widely accepted principles for protecting privacy. This testimony is based on this report, and concerns the sufficiency of privacy protections afforded by existing laws. To do this, the author analyzed privacy laws and guidance, compared them with the Fair Info. Practices, and obtained perspectives from fed. agencies as well as an expert forum. Includes recommendations.
The General Services Admin. (GSA) is responsible for ensuring that federal agencies have access to the telecommunications needed to meet mission requirements. GSA¿s current telecommunications program, called FTS2001, has contracts in place that will expire by June 2010. Thus, agencies face the difficult task of transitioning their services to a successor program, known as Networx. This report determines: (1) the extent to which agencies are following sound transition planning practices; and (2) the actions GSA is taking to identify and resolve common transition challenges affecting agencies. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.
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