Managed care organizations and confidential patient information: the need for a uniform standard

There is a lack of comprehensive implementation of a cognizable national standard regarding use of confidential patient information by managed care organizations. As such, it is difficult for a managed care organization to balance the goal of demonstrating its quality and efficiency with the necessity of maintaining a patient's right to confidentiality of medical records, and in so doing, avoid or at least limit exposure to liability for violating that right.