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Agenda |
Workshops |
Exhibitors |
Vendor Opportunities
Personal Health Records (PHRs) empower consumers to access their health information in a timely, convenient and useful fashion. Web-based PHR programs allow consumers to see their records, add information, receive educational and decision-support material relevant to their circumstances, and communicate with their care team. Despite these attractive features, patients will need to decide on an individual basis whether concerns about privacy and confidentiality, outweigh the benefits of this new technology. Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH, Adjunct Lecturer, Harvard School of Public Health, will explore new developments in Personal Health Records and information technology. He will also discuss the forcing functions and "wild cards" that will impact PHR development, deployment and use. "The goal of Personal Health Records is to facilitate communication between patients and their care team," said Dr. Nobel. "It is more than an information repository. It is actually a platform from which you can manage your own care." Without patients and their care team working together, Nobel believes personal health records "are the sound of one hand clapping". The PHR, as it most often described, is a web-based application where healthcare consumers can log-on and be directed to a home page containing a message center, personalized alerts, trackers for various medical conditions and access to a wide array of educational content. If the PHR is also accessible to providers, a consumer user could, for example, send messages to his physician, download blood tests results, or check his/her insurance benefits. Not only will the electronic personal health records make interaction and communication easier, they might answer many important questions from a patient’s perspective, such as: What are the results of my blood test? Is it time to see a doctor? If so, how do I find one? How much coverage do I have before I seek treatment? What are the best and most affordable medications for my ailment? PHRs can also educate patients about diseases that are present in their family, with information regarding risk factors and prevention. Finally, PHRs may also allow patients to effectively communicate their health situations and concerns to their doctor. "This effort holds tremendous potential to improve the population’s health by making it easier for individuals and families to stay healthy through prevention." said Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. "People will be able to more conveniently monitor their health, assure that they will have appropriate health screening tests, take care of existing health conditions, and share their health information with health professionals to enhance the quality…of [their] health care." Although PHRs have many benefits, there are also many barriers to their implementation and effective use. Consumers must feel that their information is secure if they are going to use a PHR. Despite advances in recent technology, no PHR system, like any other on-line system can ever be one-hundred percent secure. Nobel believes, however, that many people are already willing to accept the risk. "Every consumer will have to make up their own mind up about balancing the risks and benefits of using a web-based PHR." Comparing the ATM and PHR, Nobel asks, "When you use an ATM, why aren’t you worried that someone will take your ID or abscond with your assets and transfer them to an offshore bank? Every time we use an ATM, we make an unconscious decision that we are willing to take those risks." Nobel concludes that using a PHR will be a personal decision made after balancing the benefits and risks. Many consumers appear willing to take that risk. In early December, Applied Materials, BP America Inc., Intel Corporation, Pitney Bowes, Inc., and Wal-Mart announced that they will fund Dossia; a web-based PHR program. "We believe that Dossia represents the real future of personal medical records management and will be an important benefit we can provide to our employees," said President and CEO of Applied Materials, Mike Splinter. "The [medical] record keeping system has been mostly paper-based, until now. We think it is time for this change." Dossia will allow members to create their PHR in one of two ways. Either they can enter the data themselves, or they can ask Dossia to search and add the information from various sources. Only medical professionals with a Dossia member’s permission may access their medical files, complying with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Dossia will allow members to carry their file from employer to employer, eliminating the problem of creating records do novo when a member changes jobs. There are both benefits and challenges associated with PHRs and EHRs. Despite the challenges, Dr. Nobel believes PHRs are the future. "Personal Health Records are already here and people are using them. The challenge is developing them thoughtfully and well." About Jeremy Nobel MD, MPH
For further information on any of our conferences and events, please contact Jerilyn Heinold, Healthcare Consultant, via e-mail. If you would like information on exhibiting opportunities for this or other events, please contact Arleen Coletti, Director of Member & Exhibiting Services via e-mail or by phone (781)768-2512.
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