Another Caution About Online Health Records
Storing our personal health data online has obvious appeal in giving us more convenience, control, and comprehension. But making the move to online records raises concerns, not the least of which is privacy.
Another is stability. Just who's in this for the long run?
As they exist today, most of the online services require that we enter the medical data that we want to store. Some tied to insurers or health providers add the records they have, but we'll want to add more. As it is now, building a medical record is a tedious, time-consuming process.
If you move to a different insurer, can you take your data with you? And what happens if the service goes belly up? It's happening already—including one service that's been around for a few years at handymedical.com.
Handymedical.com says it's going out of business as of March 21. The site says it will delete all files after that date. Consumers are urged to print them out in the meanwhile, but there's no option for transferring them electronically to another service.
Maybe we can take comfort that big tech companies like Google and Microsoft are getting into the business. But we've no guarantees that they'll stay in, either.
Tags: internet | medical records
Tools: 
Share
|
| Comments (4)
Reader Comments
Medical data ransmission
How can online medical clinic be able to transfere medical secured data automaticlly
Jameel
If I understand you correctly, Online Medical Clinic is already online.
The problem is access to rather than transmission of medical information.
The information is stored on a server somewhere. If the company uses a "virtual" system, then their records are stored there. Using our system, staff can send and receive ePHI by using any authorized computer, a file can be "transfered" via their software and attached to an electronic transmission message and sent to anyone who has authorization to receive it. Authorization is the key word here... no need for end receiver to have access to the medical clinic's "online system" or server.... sounds complicated, but it isn't. Once established, the system is as easy as setting up any online email account, but secure and interoperable.
Automatic transmission
This is a risky term! Health care information should not be distributed automatically. Each time it is distributed, it should be documented, stamped and deliberate. Our system provides this information.
Add your thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our comment guidelines.advertisement
iTunes
RSS
Remember Life before Fax?
I see the issue distributing personal health information the same today as before the fax machine allowed easier communication between med. facilities.
There is hope! The next technological step is, believe it or not, Keep The Records to Yourself, on you own system until it is needed by someone else. Then send via a HIPPA compliant electronic transmission system to anyone, anywhere, safe, then they keep it on "their" system. Sound too simple. If you have an interest and would like a test drive, contact me. You won't believe it! 1-866-299-0063.
Mar 17, 2008 13:20:52 PM [permalink] [report comment]