er-crimes. The number of cyber-crimes in the last decade has increased at an alarming rate. There have been numerous types of attacks or misuses detected in the last 12 months. The threats that are most notable are but not limited to:Viruses, insider abuse of net access, unauthorized access by insiders, system penetration by outsiders, theft of proprietary info, sabotage, and financial fraud. From at least the 1970's through the present, various groups such as the Privacy protection Study Commission, and the American Medical Association(AMA), have studied privacy protections in the electronic health records systems. They have also advocated various safeguards which are instructive to Clinical Data Management(CDM).For example, the AMA requires "the utmost effort and care" to protect the confidentiality of computerized medical records. Among the AMA's guidelines are requirements that both patient and physician be advised about every existence of computerized medical databases. In addition, the AMA requires that this information be communicated to the patient and physician before the physician releases the information to the database. Most importantly, the AMA characterizes fully disclosure to the patient of this information as necessary to obtaining the patient's fully informed consent to treatment. Many safeguards have been put in place to protect physician-patient confidentiality, but the truth is technology is growing almost exponentially, but security of private information has been neglected. If medicine is going to incorporate this new technology we must not overlook one of our basic rights, privacy and confidentiality of information. There is much work that needs to be done to protect this. ...
