June 13, 2006
National Health Care Network Bill
Legislation, aimed at establishing a nationwide health information technology network was introduced recently by U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kansas. According to the proposed legislation, individuals would be able to file their medical information with an accredited health information bank that is registered and regulated through the Federal Trade Commission and the attorney general. Individuals would have complete ownership of their entire medical health record, have the rights to review the contents of the record and have the ability to add personal health information at their discretion.
Health information banks would manage medical information in the same way financial institutions, such as banks and credit card companies, manage financial data. The system, which could be accessed at the point of service using patient swipe cards, would allow physicians and other providers real-time electronic access to patient health records and eliminate the cumbersome and unreliable paper-based system.
The legislation also would give patients the option of selling their record data on a blinded basis for research and other authorized purposes. Revenue from the sales would be tax-free and split equally between the patient and his or her health record bank. Proceeds also could be shared with health care providers and payers as an incentive for them to contribute additional data to the banks.
This year, the United States is expected to spend $2 trillion on health care, according to Representative Moore. "If we fail to act now, the situation will get much worse. In fact, health care spending is expected to double to $4 trillion by 2015." The savings generated by the independent health record bank program would be substantial. A Rand Corpporation study found that the use of electronic medical records could result in potential annual savings of $162 billion. By comparison, the cost of maintaining an electronic health record system would be $10 billion a year, resulting in more than $150 billion in net savings.
Posted by rsk at June 13, 2006 09:05 PM