Published: December 06, 2008 10:51 pm      

Benefits of e-health records may outweigh concerns

By 2014, the federal government hopes to see all Americans have electronic health records. This means all the information normally stored in paper files in your physician’s office would be online.

Proponents of the idea say physicians would be better able to monitor your health care and provide the best care in situations involving emergencies or disasters.

“The switchover to electronic health records among health care providers is still in its early stages in West Virginia, but we expect the pace to pick up in the next few years,” said Patty Ruddick, project director of the West Virginia Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration. “Our hope is to let West Virginians know how advantageous electronic health records and health information exchange systems are.”

According to information provided by the group, state-of-the-art systems would be employed to secure records to the greatest degree possible and prevent access to unauthorized persons. Any system used must comply with the security provisions of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPPA is the regulatory minimum, and state laws and regulations often supersede it.

“I haven’t given a lot of thought to the subject as it is not really widespread at the moment,” Dr. Charles Porterfield of Beckley said. “The obvious pro is access to those who need it. This would prevent duplication of tests when a patient changes hospitals or doctors, would allow practitioners to evaluate changes in recent lab work as compared to those stored online and would allow the patient to give access to those persons or companies deemed appropriate (insurance companies).”

The downside, he said, hinges on the abilities of hackers to access the information.

“Anything online can be hacked, and there is going to be the potential for lack of privacy. Would you want the world to know about your positive STD test when you were a wild teenager? Or worse yet, when you had that affair with the boss at the office when your spouse was out of town? How about that time you were depressed and got counseling at the local psychiatrist’s office?”

However, some people believe the benefits of e-health records may outweigh those dangers.

“This is an issue where you have to balance of right of privacy against the benefits of giving a physician all the information available so he or she can do the best job possible in trying to save your life,” said Anthony Salvatore, a Beckley/Oak Hill attorney and mental hygiene commissioner for Fayette County.

“If you were in an accident in another state and unconscious and unable to speak for yourself, wouldn’t you want the physician taking care of you to be able to access your entire medical history and make the best possible decisions for you based on that information?”

He pointed out there was a time when customers balked at the idea of paying bills online. Now, it’s a common practice.

“You could argue that the risk of disclosure of information is far outweighed by immediate access by a physician who is trying to save your life,” he said.

With e-health records, a physician anywhere in the country could know within minutes about a patient’s allergies, prescription medications and other pertinent information that could have a direct bearing on what medical intervention measures would be most effective for that patient, proponents say.

According to the U.S. Institute of Medicine, almost 100,000 Americans die each year because of medical errors, which e-health records could help reduce, they say.

David Brailer, a native West Virginian who served as the first national coordinator for health information technology, has estimated the use of e-health records could save about $300 billion a year. Costs would be reduced through eliminating duplicate tests, shortening hospital stays and improving care for chronically ill patients, he said.

— E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com