The health IT improvements spurred by the stimulus package's HITECH Act will almost undoubtedly bring some great health gains to the country. But appropriately enough in the field of health care, many dramatic treatments hurt more than the actual ailment -- at least for a little while.

One interesting piece that that got us thinking about this was written by Mahmood Sher-Jan, the senior director of product management for ID Experts.  Titled “Three things you may not know about The HITECH Act... but should,” it looks at some of the implications of data security and privacy breaches of protected health information, including the complexity of overlapping state and federal laws.

Impressively, Sher-Jan examines second-order risks. He assumes that at some time a data security breach will occur, and asks, “What happens next?” He points out that the national conversion to electronic health records and information exchanges will require figuring out the tensions and complexities of laws in all 50 states. This is particularly complicated since a new national system wasn't anticipated when many state laws were created.

Similarly, providers and national health experts should be thinking about the potential health risks of EHR implementation. That EHRs might be anything but boons to actual health might seem odd, but consider this item by Mary Mosquera in Government Health IT, on the potential of EHR implementation to exacerbate racial and ethnic healthcare disparities. In the piece, Dr. Neil Calman of the Institute for Family Health, suggests the possibility that fewer “safety net” hospitals might qualify for the HITECH Act’s EHR incentives compared with hospitals that treat more affluent patients. If that happens, the national push to implement health IT might actually harm some disadvantaged patient groups.

We're not saying this is likely, but it is possible. It’s good that smart people are considering even remote negative consequences. Only with that kind of careful thought will health care providers be prepared to mitigate those risks or address them should they come to pass.