Currently, consumers’ health information and records are mostly stored in paper charts or computer files within a providers’ office. No protocol exists where a patient’s health information is stored on the internet where it can be accessed anywhere in the world. That will change soon.
High levels within the government have recently floated an idea to put patient’s medical records in a seamless information environment for consumers. Todd Park , the new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in the Department of Health and Human Services and Aneesh Chopra the new federal CTO have proposed creating a Health Internet to facilitate consumer access to and ultimately control of their personal health information. The “Health Internet” will not be a completely new Internet, rather it will leverage the existing Internet and its protocols, including various privacy and security features required for safe transmission of clinical data. The Health Internet will allow software companies to build applications for consumer consumption like health and wellness services and personal health records.
This idea has gained a lot of traction with numerous federal agencies like the department of defense and the veterans administration. These stakeholders say that allowing personal health information on the internet in a secure way will allow patients to choose the best services available in the market to assist them in managing their health.
Imagine the future where health information is unrestricted by geography. A patient, seeing their health record can proactively use this information to get more information about their health condition. Physician offices will no longer have to request records but rather pull it up online. Aggregating large amounts of health data can help researches do meta studies on the effectiveness of certain medical procedures.
I am optimistic for the future.