Obama Wants to Digitalize My Health Records? I Say Go For It!

Imagine all the things you do during a typical day to allow others access to your personal information.  You go to the supermarket.  Most likely you have a store card which gives you either rewards or a discount on some items.  In return for these rewards the store has a computerized list of what you buy.  Someone out there knows what toilet paper you use, if you have pets, and if you smoke or not.  You go to another store to buy a toy for your child.  If you have been there before, they already have your phone number, and the clerk calls you by name.  You then go to the bookstore where they want to know your zip code before they even ring you up.  And let's say you wish to buy something on-line.  You are giving out all sorts of information including your credit card number which most companies like to store for your later convenience. 

Do you write on-line, have a facebook page, belong to Myspace?  Need I even tell you about the risks to your privacy?  I am sure you have all heard the stories of how employers look on myspace pages to find evidence of drunken and lewd behavior of potential job candidates. Nowadays it is possible for others to find out about the intricate details of your personal life.  I had a friend who I hadn't seen in over a decade ask me how often I played basketball.  When I asked why, she said that she had entered my address into Google Earth and was able to see the details of my house, our car, and that we had a basketball hoop in our driveway.  

Welcome to the digital age my friend. 

Everyday people leave a trail of personal information everywhere they go.  And there are risks at every twist and turn. 

Does this mean we stop using our computers?  More importantly does this mean we stop progress?

I am sure you may have heard by now of President elect Obama's ambitious plans to computerize our health records within five years. This isn't a novel idea.  In fact, PC World magazine  hailed the Bush administration back in 2005 as being visionary for their attempt to begin this process.  The problem was that nothing really came of this vision.  Obama simply plans to put this idea of digitalizing health records into action.  What are the hold ups to implementation?  This same article by Grant Gross states that one reason is resistance of health care providers themselves:  "Some health-care providers have been slow to adopt electronic health records because they're paid per patient visit, and they aren't paying the bills, he said. It is against the financial interest of many providers to improve quality or to improve efficiency, because we pay by volume, and greater efficiency and quality, by definition, reduce volume."  This is but one reason for the delay.  Other problems include finding the tech people who can actually do the job, the great cost, and of course the outcry against possible risks to patient  privacy.