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Return to Article: National health records network to expand

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  I am currently enrolled in a Healthcare IT class that is closely researching and watching this subject as it develops. It will be interesting to see how the trials go; I believe this will be a helpful system if the systems are able to speak to one another in a secure manner.

  Adrianne Posted April 9, 2008 5:28 PM
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  there is definately a lot of buzz around this space. there seems to be a lot of competition to get to this space first, and get all those government dollars. I saw on a post that last week Louisiana setup their statewide HIE. how much longer until that national version is up.

  HealthSparks Posted April 8, 2008 12:05 PM
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  Is it only me that sees this as the precursor of the "defining platform" for electronic records storage as needed in a transparent and efficient national healthcare system?

  Add consumer driven healthcare tools into the mix and "well-la" Schmidt, Page, Brin & Gates could control the traffic on ALL healthcare transactions globally. Is this the equivalent of A.T.& T. as depicted in the 1960's movie "The President's Analyst" with James Coburn. I find this incredibly fascinating . . . . or have I taken it "a bridge too far?"

  Ted DeCorte Posted April 4, 2008 3:37 PM
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  Everyone must understand that there are still significant hurdles that must be: a) discovered, and b) overcome. Not the least of this is the privacy and protection of the personal health information that is being collected. On top of this there are going to be issues of interoperability between the many disperate clinical systems that have already been deployed by the early adopters of EHR technologies, as well as the release and authorization regulations that exist. As was said earlier, these are "pilots" exploring uncharted territories. There will be challenges ahead, but at least the issue has now hit mainstream

  Phillip Posted April 3, 2008 2:06 PM
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  In support of sharing Medical Information: The sharing of medical information this will allow will do more to increase the safety of patients and continuity of care, especially for remote rural regions where communication is limited and difficult. We must weigh the pros and cons and the value of accurate up-to-date information is vital. Security is an issue we take very seriously and it, along with Health Information, will have to step up to the development plate as well.

  P Boskofsky Posted April 1, 2008 3:24 PM
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  I'm sure you've already heard from HHS and the Office of the National Coordinator that there is a slight mis-representation in the initial paragraph of this article. HHS is not creating a national network of electronic health records plans - it is sponsoring pilots to test use cases and feasibility for a Nationwide Network - but not a national data base to integrate all health care databases.

  lorraine doo Posted March 31, 2008 7:35 AM
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  This is an identity theft disaster on its way to happening.

  IT Specialist Posted March 28, 2008 12:33 PM
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  While this sounds helpful, it is an invasion of privacy. If other electronic records can be breached, so can these. Too bad they didn't spend the money backing away from a national health care system that has degraded our level of medical care in the US. Between the government and the insurance companies, we pay more for medical services every year. I don't find that helpful and neither will nationalizing our records.

  lhart Posted March 28, 2008 8:53 AM