The Joint Commission Recognizes Inova as the First in the Nation to Achieve Responsible Use of Health Data Certification

GlobeNewsWire
Monday, December 2, 2024 at 10:36pm UTC

Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois and Fairfax, Virginia, December 2, 2024, Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Developed using a framework established by the Health Evolution Forum’s convening group, RUHD is a voluntary certification, available to hospitals and health systems. The certification process provides guidance and guardrails to assist and help protect healthcare organizations navigating the complexities and risks of the secondary use of patient data.

RUHD Certification provides a framework for organizations to use and transfer patient data in ways that protect patient privacy, promote transparency and safeguard against misuse. It validates that robust policies and procedures are in place to help protect, govern and accountably use secondary data necessary for learning, safety, quality and operations improvement.

To achieve RUHD Certification, Inova demonstrated strong stewardship capabilities over health data, including:

    •    de-identification of health data
    •    access and security controls
    •    defining and authorizing permitted use of data
    •    validating the safety, effectiveness, privacy and fairness of algorithms
    •    providing transparency in data uses for patients
    •    establishing robust governance structures to oversee compliance with regulations

“Certification strengthens trust with our patients who can be confident that Inova has appropriate safeguards on the responsible use of health data, while providing data-driven insights to doctors and nurses so we can continue to provide world-class care to the communities we serve,” said Matt Kull, Chief Information and Digital Strategy Officer for Inova.

In recognition of this achievement, the two organizations hosted a discussion on Dec. 2 at the Inova Center for Personalized Health with thought leaders and policymakers, including Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) on the critical importance of protecting patient data privacy in today’s healthcare landscape.

"We are honored to be the first health system in the nation to achieve The Joint Commission’s Responsible Use of Health Data Certification," said J. Stephen Jones, MD, FACS, President and CEO of Inova. "As healthcare evolves, protecting patient privacy and using patient data responsibly is essential to improving care, driving innovation, and maintaining the trust of the communities we serve. This certification affirms our commitment to setting the standard for ethical data practices in healthcare."

“The responsible use of secondary data for learning and improving care provides a foundation for the responsible use of artificial intelligence, which will allow unprecedented advances in patient safety and quality of care for all,” says Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, president and chief executive officer, The Joint Commission and Joint Commission International. “We commend Inova for achieving The Joint Commission’s Responsible Use of Health Data Certification to use its healthcare data for the greater good.”

To learn more about RUHD Certification, visit https://www.jointcommission.org/our-priorities/responsible-use-of-health-data/.

Attachment


Maureen Lyons
The Joint Commission
630-792-5171
mlyons@jointcommission.org

Tracy Connell
Inova
(703) 674-9357
tracy.connell!@inova.org