A hot topic in the US health sector is the “meaningful use” provisions associated with $17B in eHealth related incentive payments. Two of the meaningful use provision that I found interested related to what one group calls “information therapy”. Should the provisions remain after the current process, doctors and hospitals who wish to qualify for incentives will have to:
- provide an electronic copy of medical records to patients who request them within 48 hours (80% of the time).
- send reminders for preventative care or followup care to at least 50 percent of their patients older than age 50.
More details on these provisions can be found in the following article:
http://www.fcw.com/Articles/2010/01/15/HHS-Electronic-Health-Records-information-therapy.aspx
The electronic copy of medical records will have, I think, a profound impact on PHR use and adoption. Many PHRs now require people to enter information by hand, something most people won’t do. But, an ability to easily upload an electronic copy of a medical record may make PHRs much more appealing.
Mike
