Patient charts and all of the medical records are to be compiled in an 8 to 16 G software device that can be carried by the patient in his pocket or a key chain and remain under the control of the patient himself. We can call this device the E-Record. The current plan being proposed by the President for nationalized electronic health records can result in a dangerous invasion of patient privacy since any government agencies, insurance companies, and other health-related organizations could easily approach patient record. The E-Record will be protected by a patient password. The patient will own and control his records and decide which physician can download and/or access the records. Only a licensed healthcare provider with a digital ID can enter the E-Record so that system can track anyone accessing the information. The E-Record can contain any information including Doctor’s notes, actual X-Ray images, lab results, hospital records, etc, and, thus, will prevent unnecessary repetition of the tests and many other services, saving billions of dollars. |
Patients, demographics, and insurance information will be easily accessible in less than thirty seconds with this new system. This feature is designed so that the patient can reach his/her doctor or nurse, make an appointment, or get the service he needs bypassing the phone tags and other complicated ‘check in’ procedures. It will save a large amount of money for the hospitals and physicians’ offices. It will also decrease frustrations and the time the patient has to spend in this process. |
Now here is the kicker. Many politicians, insurance companies and other interest groups will sure oppose this idea with a number of scare tactics because this way we the people will be in control and not them. The reality is that the technology exists today to implement this system, and if all Americans stand together we can make it happen. |
