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Statewide Medical Database Discussed; Health-Care Groups in Pennsylvania Met Last Month About Creating an Electronic Network.

Posted on: Wednesday, 6 April 2005, 00:00 CDT

Today's world is digital, but your medical records still may be stored on paper.

Just because you see a computer at the reception desk doesn't mean your doctor keeps your records in there.

Some offices use computers for billing or to schedule appointments but don't have all of their doctors' notes and patients' tests stored in digital form, said Darlene Kauffman, associate director of payer relations at the Pennsylvania Medical Society.

She has heard estimates that nationwide about 20 percent of doctors' offices use electronic records systems. From talking with people, Kauffman estimates in this state less than 20 percent have such systems, and it might be closer to 10 percent.

A consortium of 28 health-care groups in Pennsylvania, including representatives of family doctors and hospitals, met last month to talk about how to create a statewide electronic network of patients' medical records.

Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, which is contracted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to improve the quality of care for beneficiaries in this state, and the state's medical society founded the Pennsylvania e-Health Technology Consortium.

The consortium was sparked by President Bush's call for the health-care community to switch from paper to electronic records within 10 years.

One of the goals is to make medical records portable, said Anita Somplasky, director for outpatient projects for Quality Insights of Pennsylvania.

What if a York County resident was visiting her granddaughter in Philadelphia and she had to go to the hospital? Doctors would want to know what medications she takes as they consider treatment options.

The woman might not remember the names, Somplasky said, adding that she might know only that she takes one blue pill and one yellow pill.

Often, doctors must rely on patients to be the historian of their health, she said. If doctors have the time, they track down someone else who knows the information, but there is no organized way for doctors to access a person's medical records.

Other times, a patient might go in for a doctor visit but not mention he was in the hospital or had a test that week, and the doctor might not have the results yet.

"Right now with paper records, it's really hard to get your arms around (a situation like), how many of my diabetics have been in to get their lab work?" Somplasky said.

The consortium plans to hold a summit in July to address creating a statewide electronic system.

Somplasky said she hopes Pennsylvania will have a medical record system in three to five years.

A representative of WellSpan Health, the parent company of York Hospital and Gettysburg Hospital, participated in the first meeting. WellSpan Health has expressed interest in the consortium, said Barry Sparks, hospital spokesman.

One major obstacle for doctors' offices is the expense.

Putting in an electronic medical record system could cost up to $100,000, Kauffman said. Then, you'd have to add on the labor costs of having someone scan old paper records into the system, she said.

Doctors also are concerned about proper privacy and security measures with such a system.

Despite the obstacles, Kauffman said the medical society believes there are good reasons to switch to electronic records. Such a system could increase patient safety by decreasing medical errors, she said, and could allow electronic prescribing of medications. Doctors might benefit from peace of mind, knowing electronic records are more accurate.

"(Doctors) recognize it's a good thing," she said. "What they have to get back is the expense and the return. There is a return, but it's not immediate."

Reach Jennife

Reach Jennifer Nejman at 771-2026 or jnejman@ydr.com.

Source: York Daily Record

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