New Report on HIPAA and Food Banks Mentioned in The New Food Economy

On March 30, 2017, The New Food Economy published the article “As Veggie Prescriptions Gain Traction, Food Banks Prepare to Personalize Nutrition—and Protect Privacy,” which references multiple reports from CHLPI’s Food is Medicine initiative.

The article, written by Claire Brown, looks at the importance of including healthy food in treatments to combat and control type 2 diabetes and obesity, and the role food banks can play in cooperation with hospitals and health care providers. The article also describes CHLPI’s latest report, “Food Banks as Partners in Health Promotion: How HIPAA and Concerns About Protecting Information Affect Your Partnership,” as “a roadmap for getting healthy food to the people who need it without compromising their privacy.”

Excerpt from article:

“Still, doctors have been “prescribing” fruits and vegetables since at least 2013. In some cases, that looks like coupons for the farmers’ market outside the hospital. At least one health insurance company arms its customers with digital coupons that incentivize healthy purchasing. Some of these initiatives seem like lip service, sure. But there’s evidence of a paradigm shift in health care—one that means a “Veggie Rx” might soon mean a lot more.”

Read the full article “As Veggie Prescriptions Gain Traction, Food Banks Prepare to Personalize Nutrition—and Protect Privacy.”