| It is well known that President Obama wants the | | | | undertaken such searches. People trust their |
| federal government to invest in electronic health | | | | doctors and like to discuss information they have |
| records so all medical records are digitized within | | | | found on the internet with them. Most health |
| five years. This will include plans to strengthen the | | | | consumers assume that much of their health |
| security and privacy governance arrangements | | | | information is already electronic and are |
| for health information currently in place, ensure | | | | increasingly accustomed to the idea of their |
| that health information cannot be sold or passed | | | | personal information being maintained online. Major |
| on without patient consent, and increase the | | | | companies, such as Google and Microsoft, have |
| range of penalties for those who do not protect | | | | illustrated this change in attitude by introducing |
| health data appropriately. | | | | their own personal health record systems. |
| There also needs to be serious reconsideration of | | | | 4. A well introduced national health electronic |
| introducing a national patient identifier for | | | | information infrastructure will lead to better |
| healthcare as part of this initiative. President | | | | security and privacy than we have with our |
| Obama's healthcare initiative is essential to move | | | | current paper records. Our present records have |
| the American healthcare system of care into the | | | | minimal capacity to be audited for inappropriate |
| Information Age, and has the potential to | | | | access by those who should not be seeing them, |
| dramatically improve the way all Americans are | | | | and are probably accessed much more than we |
| treated when they are sick. | | | | realize. |
| We need to examine the many positive reasons | | | | 5. Electronic health records will allow us to |
| why electronic health record implementation is so | | | | leverage new technologies such as virtual reality |
| important for Americans, and not get lost in | | | | environments, telemedicine programs, multimedia |
| detailed philosophical or technical arguments that | | | | applications, genetic databases and increasingly |
| so often muddy this topic. There are seven areas | | | | sophisticated search and decision support tools. |
| of major gain for Americans with the introduction | | | | We currently only use these tools sporadically, but |
| of a national electronic health record system: | | | | in future, as we move to an increasingly |
| 1. We are in the Information Age, and healthcare, | | | | personalized consumer focussed health system, |
| which is an Information Industry, needs to be | | | | they will be used routinely. |
| modernized just like the banking, communications | | | | 6. With the simultaneous move to some kind a |
| and media industries, and made more efficient, | | | | national health insurance initiative, another goal of |
| through the more effective use of health | | | | President Obama, the existence of electronic |
| information. Electronic health records have been | | | | health records is simply essential to be able to |
| extensively studied and have been show to | | | | provide care to the current 47 million Americans |
| increase the overall quality of care, and to reduce | | | | who are estimated to be uninsured. |
| medical errors. | | | | 7. Disease prevention, health promotion and |
| 2. The Internet and its associated multimedia | | | | chronic disease management are all essential |
| environments are here to stay. Their existence | | | | solutions to the American healthcare crisis that |
| will facilitate the development of an entirely new | | | | need to be promoted and enhanced over the |
| information infrastructure for healthcare, | | | | next decade. These approaches to care are much |
| incorporating electronic health records, and | | | | more effective if good quality information on both |
| numerous other multimedia environments and | | | | individuals and communities is already available |
| analytic tools. Investments in health are likely to | | | | electronically. |
| continuously move away from bricks and mortar | | | | The need for national electronic health records is |
| to bits and bytes, and the Obama plans will kick | | | | essential to allow us to improve the American |
| start this approach. | | | | healthcare system, and to make our healthcare |
| 3. Health consumers have already taken to using | | | | services more personalized and consumer |
| the Internet for healthcare. 10 million Americans | | | | focused as we move increasingly into delivering |
| search online for health information about | | | | healthcare in today's information age. We need to |
| themselves or a loved one every single day - a | | | | support President Obama in this important |
| total of 140 million Americans have already | | | | initiative. |