Baptist Health achieves national certification for responsible health data practices

Baptist Health recently earned the Responsible Use of Health Data ™ certification from Joint Commission. The designation recognizes Baptist Health’s commitment to the responsible stewardship of health data to advance research, improve care and enhance patient outcomes.

The certification indicates best practices are in place to maintain the safe and responsible use of health data for purposes beyond clinical care, known as the secondary use of data. This data offers valuable insights that can help better understand health care trends, identify potential treatment options, support earlier diagnoses and improve patient outcomes. This certification from Joint Commission – an independent, nonprofit health care standards-setting and accrediting organization – underscores for patients their de-identified information is handled in a safe and consistent manner that prioritizes patient privacy.

Health data from Baptist Health is helping drive research and advance care. For example, the health system contributes deidentified patient information to a secure database that physicians across the U.S. can search by condition, symptoms, or location to connect and collaborate with colleagues who have relevant expertise in rare conditions. Data is also being used to create datasets to estimate the length of a patient’s hospital stay at the time of their admission, which helps case managers plan for the timely transition to post-acute care.

“Health data can transform individual experiences into collective insight, revealing patterns that can enhance patient outcomes and how care is delivered,” said Aaron Miri, DHA, FCHIME, CHCIO, executive vice president and chief digital and information officer at Baptist Health. “We take patient privacy very seriously. This recognition reflects our pledge to handle secondary data responsibly, keeping patient information secure while applying insights to advance care here in Florida and across the country.”

“These datasets represent real patients, and it is our duty to ensure their health information is handled with respect and integrity and is being used to elevate health care for all,” said Irene Louh, MD, PhD, vice president of data intelligence and decision science at Baptist Health. “We are excited by the advancements being made with the responsible use of health information.”

"At Baptist Health, we believe data should be used with both purpose and responsibility. The thoughtful and ethical use of information can help advance medicine, improve patient outcomes and support more personalized, effective care. At the same time, we maintain rigorous standards around privacy, security, governance and appropriate use of data. Protecting patient trust is foundational to everything we do, and we are committed to ensuring data is handled with integrity, transparency and in accordance with all applicable legal and ethical standards," said Bridget Johnson, FABC, CHPS, director, compliance operations and system privacy officer at Baptist Health.

William Walders, executive vice president and chief digital and information officer at Joint Commission, added: “Through a strong governance framework, rigorous de‑identification practices and greater transparency with patients, we can unlock the value of secondary health data while protecting privacy and maintaining trust. Baptist Health is an example of how the responsible use of health data can be used to accelerate innovation and, most importantly, improve patient outcomes. We recognize and applaud Baptist Health for their commitment to the responsible use of data for the greater good.”

Joint Commission measured Baptist Health’s compliance with certification standards in the following areas:

• Oversight structure to establish a formal process to manage and oversee the use of data
• The de-identification of data in accordance with federal standards established by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Data controls to protect against unauthorized re-identification of data
• Limitations on use to prohibit the misuse of data
• Algorithm validation to ensure internally developed algorithms meet performance and safety standards
• Patient transparency to communicate with key stakeholders about the secondary use of data

More information about the certification can be found on Joint Commission’s website.