Tweet

Improving User Experience Could Hasten Adoption of Online Digital Health Records

Written by: Robert Pothier

Article Overview: Online digital health records offer an incredible opportunity for the health care industry. But before they can be adopted on a large scale, health care IT professionals need to solve some user experience issues.

Improving User Experience Could Hasten Adoption of Online Digital Health Records

Online digital heath records—the kind controlled by patients—have been available for years, but the trick is to get people to use them in the first place, reports the New York Times. And aside from concerns about privacy—a significant obstacle, to be sure—the two biggest hurdles in the way of more universal adoption of digital health records are user experience related: getting the information in there is too difficult, and the information in there might not be complete.

Overcoming both user experience obstacles could go a long way towards helping the Obama administration accelerate the adoption of electronic health records in doctors’ offices and hospitals throughout the United States. The Obama administration plans to spend $19 billion over the next few years as part of the economic stimulus package to hasten this modernization of the nation’s health care system. Currently, the federal government has no plans for consumer-controlled health records, but doctors tout consumer-controlled health records as a powerful tool for improving health care because the data itself is not tethered to an institution.

Still, in many instances, it’s up to the patients themselves to provide the information, often through time-consuming data entry methods. Aside from turning away patients who would otherwise benefit from online digital health records, even patients motivated to enter data on their own risk filling their digital health records with errors. Work-arounds do exists, however. Patients using Google Health, for example, can upload records directly from several health insurers, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and prescription records from major drug store chains like CVS and Walgreens. Microsoft and Google, reports the New York Times, have announced partnerships with Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and Kaiser Permanente to explore transferring patient data automatically into digital health records controlled by the consumer.

Also in question is the quality of the information itself. With paper-based records, and no de facto standards in place, standards, over time, have evolved separately based upon the needs of each individual health care provider—patient portability was never an over-riding consideration. What may have been recorded and documented at one institution, for example, might not have been recorded or documented by another, leading to gaps or inconsistencies in a patient’s medical records, especially records for older patients. “The paper-based system is soft of ‘here, and good luck,’” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, a heart surgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital, as quoted by the New York Times.

The ideal, according to Dr. David Brailer, former national health information technology coordinator in the Bush administration, as quoted in the Times, is for most patient to be in digital form, with safeguards for privacy, to be shared by health providers and patients.

Related Articles
  A Brief Summary of the HITECH Act for new medical practices
  When it Comes to Your Health, Accurate Personal Health Care Records Are Key
  Lesson #5: Focus On the User
  OBAMA ADMINISTRATION PLANS INTERNET ID
  Manage regional enteritis with Crohn’s Manger app

Article Tags: blue cross blue shield, blue cross blue shield of massachusetts, cleveland clinic, clinic mayo, data entry, drug store chains, economic stimulus package, electronic health records, google, health care system, health insurers, hurdles, improving health care, kaiser permanente, mayo clinic, modernization, new york times, patient data, prescription records, walgreens



Related Forum Posts
Re: What is your Business? - We are running a Online Marketing Firm and we have some good clients to which we are offering a complete Digital Marketing strategy like Search, Mobile Marketing, Branding and Design. I think in Online Marketing company online presence can be a wining factor for the success of the company.
Picking an external hard drive to backup my files - Does anyone here use an external hard drive to backup their computer files? And if so, which brand would you recommend? My friend suggested Western Digital or Maxtor... but I read some bad reviews about Western Digital on Futureshop.ca. And more importantly, would you trust buying a supposedly "brand new" external hard drive on Ebay? How could I really tell if it was used or not?
Re: SES Toronto Next Week - In that case, how about the following? Track: Get Me Up to Speed * State of Search Marketing in Canada Track: Practical & Actionable * Beyond Linkbait: Getting Authoritative Online Mentions Track: Advanced * User Search Behavior * Social Media Success * Web 2.0 & Search Engines * Giving Credit Where It’s Due: Which Campaign Sold What?
Re: Is smaller always better? - But as things get smaller, won't they also become more fragile and difficult to use? For instance, I'm a slim guy with bony fingers so I have no problem using my PowerShot SD630 Digital Elph. However, my friend who is 6'2 220lbs can't use my camera at all because his fingers are too large to press the tiny buttons.
Re: Are you going to use Facebook Timeline? - Hi apu, I Recently used Facebook Timelines, actually it seems like a Facebook blog which makes profile page more attractive but i don't think it will help in internet marketing because it also slow the speed of Facebook Page. Share your Experience!


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How To Be Happy at Work? Acknowledge Yourself

3 Key Factors For Raising Capital

Why We MUST Reinvent The Wheel

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.