|
When visiting a new doctor, have you ever failed to recall your medical
history accurately? Have you omitted listing a current medication?
Have you been asked to have lab work repeated, even though you just
recently had that blood test or x-ray? Given the stress of an illness
or injury, such patient experiences are common, yet, they could be
avoided through modern heath information technology. Having access to
complete patient health information is critical to improving clinical
care, reducing medical errors and decreasing costs
On July 21, 2004, the Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a
10-year plan to create a new national health information infrastructure
(download
PDF), including an electronic health record (EHR) for every American and a new network to link health records nationwide. HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said in a statement at the HHS Summit on
Health Information Technology in Washington that "electronic health
information will provide a quantum leap in patient power, doctor power
and effective health care. We can't wait any longer." Need more information? These pages are intended to provide information
and documents that address many of the common questions associated with
electronic health records.
|
