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Health Care Leaders Unite for Patient Safety & Medical Advancement
www.EHRtoday.org <http://www.EHRtoday.org> Addresses Electronic Health Record Benefits, Concerns

NEW ORLEANS (Nov. 6, 2007) – A coalition of state health officials and medical professionals have launched a Web site designed to educate Louisiana citizens and their care givers on how security and privacy of personal health information can be managed to foster the adoption of electronic health records for all patients and providers.

The electronic health information revolution is expected to change the face of modern medicine, saving thousands of lives from preventable medical errors and increasing efficiency in health care delivery across the state and nation.  A welcomed change, Louisiana ranks among the nation's leading states in health information technology advances, foreshadowing a not-so-distant future when Louisiana could easily climb to the top of the national health care quality report cards.

The Web site, www.EHRtoday.org <http://www.EHRtoday.org> , is a product of the Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration.  HISPC is a collection of leaders in the health information technology, health care quality and health policy arenas who have come together to advance HIT implementation in Louisiana. HISPC uses a multi-faceted approach including advocacy, education and outreach to address issues of privacy and security in electronic medical records. The ultimate goal is to help enable better health care for all Louisiana citizens.

“Electronic health records hold promise in improving health care quality, efficiency and accessibility in a secure manner,” explained Jeanie Berg, president of the Louisiana Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (LaHIMSS).  “Though Louisiana is leading the way nationally on this front, we still have a long way to go before physicians adopt it as the standard and patients demand their records move from the antiquated paper system to a uniform electronic record.”

A report in August by the inspector general of the federal Department of Health and Human Services highlights Louisiana as one of only 12 states that have implemented 16 HIT initiatives. According to the report, one of the few obstacles left in the development of fully functional EHRs is how each state will ensure that those records are kept secure and private.

“Electronic health records have the potential to reduce high healthcare costs resulting from inefficiency, medical errors, duplicate testing, and incomplete information,” explained Dr. Roxane Townsend, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. “These benefits extend beyond Medicaid to every healthcare provider in the state.  We look forward to working closely with federal officials and the members of the HISPC collaboration to make sure our progress keeps records secure and private.”

The Valentine Medical Center, a new family healthcare, urgent care and occupational medical clinic in Gretna, opened two years after being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.  The center opened with electronic health record software and hardware donated by vendors who participated in the Katrina-Phoenix project sponsored by the HIMSS Foundation.

DeSoto Regional Health System is part of a $13 million program targeting rural hospitals in North Louisiana that will provide access to information systems and improving patient care and quality of care.  The system will link patient records to LSU Medical Center at Shreveport with their local healthcare providers, allowing patients to receive care at home in their own communities.

The Web site, www.EHRtoday.org <http://www.ehrtoday.org> , has been created to educate physicians and patients on all aspects of the new technology and address security concerns inherent with new technology. The information created, accessed and stored in these systems, and their ability to integrate with health information networks and data exchanges, introduces complex security issues.

“We must remain vigilant to ensure that medical organizations are quickly made aware of the vulnerabilities in EHR programs, and that they have policies, practices and technology to assess and mitigate these risks,” added Dr. Tony Sun, medical director of Louisiana Health Care Review, a private, non-profit organization that has been recognized nationally for its work in improving patient care across the state.  “Once those protocols are in place, EHRs are the optimal way to improve patient diagnosis and care while streamlining and cutting down on the cost of health care.”

According to www.EHRtoday.org <http://www.EHRtoday.org> , EHRs have the power to improve quality of care, patient safety, provide increased efficiency in maintaining medical data and are ultimately a cost savings for patients and physicians. They also have the power to reduce transcription errors, track medical history and medications to prevent drug interaction, access a patient’s medical records quickly from anywhere, and simplify billing.  

One recent study highlighted security deficiencies in some EHR programs on the market, yet many others have underscored the increased safety of data when it is stored electronically, especially when compared to traditional paper records.  Paper records are subject to anyone viewing them in a doctor’s office or a dumpster, without any “audit trail” of who has looked at those records.  EHRs require password authentication and electronically document anyone who has viewed the records.  EHRs also can be more secure in natural disasters, such hurricanes of fires, since the data they contain can be stored or backed up on secure, remote servers.

“We all learned a hard lesson after Hurricane Katrina,” added Dr. Sun.  “There were sensitive medical records literally floating around for anyone to look at.  We can’t rely on the antiquated system that is more than 100 years old. It’s time to adapt and embrace the technology and all the benefits it will afford physicians and patients.”

A recent Cisco Systems survey found that 62 percent of Americans have used online health tools to access information about symptoms and diagnoses, manage prescriptions and assess their own health.  Many want their doctors to use technology to communicate with them. EHRs can increase patient education with online disease management tools.

In the coming months, members of the statewide HISPC collaboration will work to assist physicians with resources available to them to transition to EHRs and educate patients on the how the new technology is underpinned by secure and private data storage and transfer.

About HISPC
 
The Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration is a collection of leaders in the health information technology (HIT), health care quality and health policy arenas who have come together to advance HIT implementation in Louisiana. HISPC uses a multi-faceted approach including advocacy, education and outreach to address issues of privacy and security in electronic medical records. The ultimate goal is to help enable better health care for all Louisiana citizens.  Learn more at www.EHRtoday.org <http://www.EHRtoday.org> .

The Collaboration is funded by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. It is administered by RTI International.