Inova Earns The Joint Commission’s RUHD Certification

On Dec. 2, The Joint Commission announced that Inova is the first organization to achieve its Use of Health Data (RUHD) Certification. The certification recognizes the responsible use of secondary data or data used for purposes outside of clinical care.

The announcement said, “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”

Further, “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.”

Inova achieved RUHD Certification by showing the following capabilities:

• 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.

The two organizations hosted a discussion on Dec. 2 at the Inova Center for Personalized Health with thought leaders and policymakers on the importance of protecting patient data privacy.