About 1,000 primary care physicians are participating, with subsidies from the city. [link] Among the benefits:
Cliffs Notes-style advice on how to handle medical problems based on a patient's age, sex, ethnic background and medical history. It prompts doctors to provide routine tests and vaccinations, advises them on appropriate treatment and medication for certain conditions, and warns of potentially dangerous drug interactions….
In April, the city will begin sending participating doctors report cards on how their preventive efforts compare to their peers.
Example of fictional diabetic patient benefiting. However, patients don't get to know their doctor's score. And only five doctors are giving patients access to their own records from home computers.
US health care reformers who believe that forcing hospitals and physicians to participate in centralized electronic information systems for patient records, test results, and physician order entry should be concerned about what is happening in Britain. Three major London hospitals had their information systems shut down by the Mytob worm on November 18, 2008. The incident shows the downside of electronic medical records (EMRs): patient care can be put at risk and costs can increase.
The affected hospitals activated emergency paper and pen backup systems. Ambulances were diverted to other hospitals. Electronic patient records were not accessible. And the incident reportedly caused delays in care and treatment. Another worry is that the worm could put confidential data at risk by allowing hackers to control the network and receive information from it. [link] Continue reading The Downside of EMRs→
This is from an article by Anne Eisenberg in the New York Times:
New tools are being developed that may help harried patients, including those with chronic health conditions, monitor their medications, home tests and other details. The information can then be posted to a Web page that the patient can choose to share with a doctor, pharmacist, friend or caregiver.
Among the products:
HealthVault (http://www.healthvault.com/) by Microsoft lets users upload data directly to their account from about 50 devices, including many blood pressure and heart rate monitors, blood glucose meters and weight scales.
NoMoreClipboard (http://www.nomoreclipboard.com/) can draw data from HealthVault to fill in information in medical forms typically required for an initial visit to a doctor.
TrialX (http://www.trialx.org/) matches patients to relevant clinical trials based on their health information.
