Online Health Records: Life and Cost Saving Potential

One of my co-writers on OurAlzheimers.com is Dorian Martin, whose mother died from Alzheimer's disease. Here's an excellent post from Dorian about online health records. I heartily agree.

Health Care Reform's Online Records System Would Be Godsend for Alzheimer's Caregivers

"A lot of conversations are going on around the United States about health care reform. The Dallas Morning News recently ran an article entitled, “Who really profits from digital medical records?” reporters Dave Michaels and Jason Roberson wrote that computerization of medical records was a significant part of the federal stimulus package, with $45 billion reserved for hospitals and physicians to make the conversion. The reporters added that medical errors cost the United States $37.6 billion annually. Standards and timelines play a key part in this portion of the health reform. 

Read more about online health records:

Find caregivers for your long-distance loved ones:

Comments

[Carol Bradley Bursack]

You are right, Molly. There is great risk of abuse. This must be done correctly and with great care.

I'm not sure I agree with every word of this post, but I agree with the concept of computerizing records for many reasons. And of course, we've all heard of cases where paper records are breached. It's a touchy subject.

Thanks for the comment,
Carol

[Molly Shomer]

Computerized medical records that our physicians could all access would be a godsend. BUT, commercial record storage where you and I could freely upload our medical information and share access with others scares me. Who is behind the site? How do we know the information is secure? What if they sell their site or go out of business? Would our information be safe in the event of a lawsuit (there is no legal confidentiality mandate to commercial sites). Even Google has talked about offering this kind of service. Would you want your private information on Google (shudder!).

Molly