Comments on: Clinton: Time to digitize all Americans' medical records

In her first New Hampshire campaign stop after a third-place Iowa finish, the Democrat also calls for oil companies to fund research on alternative energy technology.

[Imalittleteapot]

No it's not.

It's time to digitize medical records when IT people can figure out how to stop hackers from hacking into things. I really don't want my medical records either lost in a stolen database like business and governments have been losing personal information, and I don't want my medical records sold to companies like choice point either.

What protections would be in place?

[fafafooey]

More Democrat cheerleading by DNC|Net.com

Hillary Rodham she's our gal, if she can't do it Obama Hussein can!

[LJ Bartels]

Digitize Medical Records

Digitized records does not mean that the records will be readily searchable, or even practically available. Making prescription medication history more easily electronic is the largest potential safety issue. Reducing medication usage risk is a major reason to promote electronic records, near term. The reduction of complications will represent a cost savings, but the cost to get set up to do this is not small and cannot be done overnight. Many pieces of this puzzle are in place and readily available. However, proliferating this in a fashion that will be practically usable means that automated means of getting patient information into the system are needed that are not themselves excessively costly. For example, the systems that make patient appointments need standardization with patient insurance cards so that patient demographics can be uploaded automatically into healthcare provider and pharmacy provider computer systems. Having a person re-type this information repetitively is extremely costly. Asking a busy healthcare provider to do this without increasing reimbursment is asking them to bear the cost burden, not at all fair, practical, reasonable, or, in today's constricting environment, likely to get done. I believe that the single largest obstacles to wide spread adoption of electronic medical records are the not-obvious costs, and the associated inertia of trying to change legacy systems with what appear to be snake oil promises of cost savings.
Beyond making demographic data entry standardized and error free, what is also needed are electronic medical records that are smart about utilizing universal coding data names. "Medson" data names and their synonyms need to be readily recognizable in prose formats with prompts to clarify when the context is unclear. This will allow more ready authorizations for additional testing. Presently, getting an authorization for a MRI scan or other expensive test requires a person to go online or to call the insurance company, person to person. The entire process is unnecessarily too expensive and could so readily be automated by standardizing the data terms and their synonyms.
Next to mention is that standardized data terms could improve diagnostic efficacy if a smart system were to prompt for additional information that was context appropriate.
Last to mention is that medical research into treatment efficacy would happen dramatically more rapidly if the above and other data standardization were to happen.
When I hear politicians blithely mandating electronic health record, I yearn to ask them what they really know. Are they parroting or are they well informed? Do they really understand the major structural issues or are the posing? Let them discuss the matter in "wonkish" terms so that we can learn whether they have a realistic chance to bring about such a reform.

[alarina]

So much for 'leadership' qualities...

Digitizing has been written into Obama's healthcare proposal since
May 29th 2006 -- see:
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

[alextelcom]

Health care, everyone?s talking about it. But is anyone doing anything about it? The first step to heath care is your medical history and your medical records. Where are your medical records? What?s your medical history? Well now the first step to your heath care is now being taking care of with the MedeFile Card. My name is Alex Papas the creator and the developer of the prepaid phone card in the United States. I have just created a new medical breakthrough called The MedeFile Card. The MedeFile Card is a centralized, confidential electronic portfolio that gives you 24/7 access to your medical history So no more wasting time and filling out paperwork every time you go to see the doctor or go to the hospital. Imagine that you or your parent or child has suddenly become ill. They are in a place where no one knows them, their blood type, what medications they are on, or what allergies they have. Quick decisions could mean the difference between life and death. Each year the lack of accurate medical information or the wrong information takes a terrible toll. With MedeFile you can be better prepared with vital information should such an emergency arise. Your Medical records are going Green. I?m donating $100 million dollars in Medefile Cards to companies all over the world to give to there employees and there families. So No more talking about what we are doing about heath care we are doing something about it now! For more info go to www.medefilecard.com or call Alex Papas at 954 729 8888

[alextelcom]

"Digital Medical Records" Alex Papas, the creator and developer of the prepaid phone card in the United States has just created a new medical breakthrough called the MedeFile Card. MedeFile's centralized, confidential electronic portfolio gives you 24/7 access to your medical history. No more wasting time and filling out paperwork when you go to the doctor or the hospital. All Medefile Card members get a free MedeDrive (a small usb drive) that fits on your key chain, so now, just hand your MedeDrive to the receptionist its that simple?Imagine that you, your parent, or your child has suddenly become ill. You are in a place where no one knows you, your blood type, what medications you are on, or what allergies they have. Quick decisions could mean the difference between life and death. Each year the lack of accurate medical information or the wrong information takes a terrible toll. With MedeFile you can be better prepared with vital information should such an emergency arise. Alex Papas is donating $100 million in Medefile Cards to everyone and there families.Your Medical records are going Green. For more info go to www.medefilecard.com Or contact Alex Papas at [e-mail]