Personal Health Records–Who Are the Key PHR Providers and How Are They Handling Laboratory Results?
Several significant events have driven public and industry interest in personal health records. In 2004, President George W. Bush outlined a plan for the implementation of an electronic health record that could be accessed by all Americans. Although numerous companies had been in this market for several years, the announcement provided impetus for growth in this area. In 2007 and early 2008, computer giants Google and Microsoft announced their intentions to enter into this market, Google with Google Health and Microsoft with Microsoft HealthVault.
In March of 2008, laboratory industry leader Quest Diagnostics announced a partnership with Google Health to provide uploading of laboratory testing to Google’s version of a personal health record (PHR).
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cites six positive outcomes with the implementation of widespread personal and/or electronic health records.
1. Improved healthcare quality
2. Prevention of medical errors
3. Reduction of healthcare costs
4. Increased administrative efficiencies
5. Decreased paperwork
6. Expanded access to affordable healthcare
Although there are a number of potential barriers to widespread implementation of personal health records, three are the most significant. They are:
1. Interoperability. The various systems need to be able to interact with each other and various computer systems.
2. Privacy and Security. The systems need to provide HIPAA-like compliance, but also have security measures similar to the banking industry and in compliance with a variety of industry standards.
3. Data Modification. In order for physicians to be able to act on medical information, they will need to be confident of the veracity of the medical data. This will at least partly require that they be able to determine the sources and modifications that have occurred to the information in personal health records.
Although there are a number of companies currently in the marketplace offering personal health records, they fall into four broad categories.
1. Standalones. These companies are primarily personal health record companies, such as LifeOnKey or FollowMe. In some cases these companies also specialize or have specialty subcategories, such as MiVia, which was designed for the migrant farmworker population, or LifeOnKey’s Diabetes focus or Women’s Health focus.
2. Spin-Offs of Information Technology or Software Companies. Most notable in this category are Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault.
3. Healthcare Providers. Examples of this are Partners HealthCare’s Patient Gateway and the Group Health Cooperative’s MyGroupHealth.
4. Platform Providers. In some cases, the companies are focused less on being the patient/consumer’s personal health record, than in providing the platform and/or technology for personal health records. MedCommons is an example of this. Microsoft HealthVault may also fall into this category. FollowMe also is willing to customize their product for other companies, which then provide their own branding.
There are five ways personal health record providers are generating revenue.
1. Subscriptions. Typically, standalone PHR providers charge nominal annual subscription rates ranging from about $25 to $50.
2. Advertising. Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault indicate they will generate income via advertising. It’s not yet clear how Microsoft intends to do this, but Google Health has indicated that their product itself will not contain advertising, but will have search boxes that connect to the traditional Google page, which does have targeted advertising.
3. Data mining. Although often mentioned as a possible source of revenue, few companies indicate they are currently selling non-user-identified health data to researchers or pharmaceutical companies.
4. Increased Service. Healthcare providers, in general, acknowledge that their personal health record systems are just part of the service and a happy client will remain with the system. Google Health indicates they aren’t in the healthcare business and part of their mission is to drive users to Google.
5. Subcontracting and licensing. MedCommons is focusing on providing their services and platform technology for other users and companies that might want to deliver personal health records. It’s not clear if Microsoft HealthVault plans to enter the market in this fashion, but many industry sources suggest it’s likely.
Ultimately, what is clear from looking at a cross-section of PHR providers is that there are a number of approaches to dealing with laboratory results depending on the nature of the PHR. Google Health has recently announced a partnership with Quest Diagnostics.
This is likely to be the first in a number of similar relationships with other laboratory corporations. The real question, one that remains unaddressed yet, is whether competing labs will create partnerships with Google Health and other PHRs or whether it will become an exclusive and competitive marketplace, where some PHRs will find their services locked out of the market.
Another potential question is whether or not a laboratory, independent or affiliated with a particular healthcare provider, is going to be able to provide data uploads to a myriad of different PHRs. Although largely a technical issue, it’s hard to see how a laboratory needing to provide results to twenty or thirty different PHRs in addition to requesting physicians and patients, is going to make laboratory medicine more efficient or cost-effective.
PHRs Gain Momentum
In his January 20, 2004, State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush outlined a plan for the implementation of an electronic health record that could be accessed by all Americans. The system was to be in place by 2015. According to the White House Web site, patient participation would be voluntarily, and “these electronic health records will be designed to share information privately and securely among and between health care providers when authorized by the patient.”
To achieve that goal, the following steps were taken:
1. Health Information Standards were adopted. Under the direction of the Department of Health and Human Services, in cooperation with other Federal agencies and the private sector, voluntary standards were to be identified and endorsed.
2. Health Care Information Technology Demonstration Project funding was increased to $100 million.
3. Federal agencies were encouraged to adopt Health Information Technology.
4. A sub-cabinet level position of National Health Information Technology Coordinator was created. This falls under the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
It’s important to note that the Bush Administration’s proposal did not break new ground. Numerous companies providing personal health records (PHR), medical health records, and electronic health records or some way of storing and delivering medical information electronically were in existence for several years prior to the Bush Administration’s efforts.
The announcement of launches into the health information technology (HIT) arena by Google and Microsoft has renewed media interest in the area, and may signal a renewed velocity and vigor to the market.
Here this nice Video about department of health
The Heart Truth Video 4: Red Dress Collection 2004 Fashion Show The Heart Truth is a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease, sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services. Designed to warn women of their #1 health threat, The Heart Truth created and introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002 to deliver an urgent wake-up call …
Find your answer for your own question related to department of health
Does the state health department work at the national or state level?I know this is a stupid question, but just because something is at the level of a state department it doesn't always mean they work for the state. So does the state health department work to protect health at the national, or state level?
Tags: aid, ambulance, Arabs, clinic, conflict, department of health, disease, emergency, erez crossing, gaza, hospital, humanitarian aid, humanitarian efforts, Isaac Herzog, israel, ISRAEL21c, Israelis, Jews, Magen David Adom, medical center, medical services, Muslims, trauma, war, west bank
israel there has been much death much suffering and much blame it all must stop start rebuilding opening borders moving forward open mixed nursary schools mixed hospitals and access to mixed settlements emotional support and councelling if you trully want peace
Is the grief of a mother for her murdered child any greater for a jew than for a Palestinian, I wonder
ewor12j
Too bad the clinic has been CLOSED because no Palestinians would come in for treatment. After bombing them, destroying their homes, killing entire families, maiming children for life…the Israelis expected them to come crawling to them for medical attention and to show gratitude for treating them??? Thankfully, they have more pride than that. They wont play into Israel’s propaganda.
nice job israel. god bless israel
With Homeland Insecurity running rampant, everything is screwed.
As of next year you will need a national Identity document and a passport just to cross the border into like Tijuana for a day.
I could fill a page with horror stories dealing with this nonsense, but I would probably start cursing just thinking about it and my landlady would evict me.
There is no longer a set answer as to how long it takes.
I would say find their 1-800 number and keep on their case until they answer, but with so many people being left in the lurch, you would probably spend hours on hold before getting to talk to a human.
Good luck.
Those who bless Israel will be blessed!
Thanks for having Israel on this earth!
Not as long as you are in a lease. Just to keep the peace, when you call the health department, explain to them that you are concerned about hostility and you'd like to remain anonymous. I'm sure they'd understand.
You can read about your renters rights, just search for it online, they are very specific. It may be called the Fair Housing Act ???
Something the great midia will never show, as usual. Both people would have so much to enjoy.
Give peace a chance! Down with terrorist organizations that can’t see nothing but hate for the jews, and for the Cowtries alike, their supporters, like Iran, this blind state.
Even if you don't have your receipts, take them back to the store and get your money back or get replacements. The store where your Mother purchased the drinks is not rotating their stock.
I have had so much trouble with our local Safeway. I bought some tapioca and when I cooked it, it did not firm up. I checked the date and it had been expired for 3 years!!! I bought 4 cans of table cream. All four of them were outdated. One was almost 2 years out of date and two were six months out of date and the last one was only a month out of date.
I returned the cans of table cream to safeway (along with a picture of the contents of the one that I had opened and it was nasty looking. It was the one that was 2 years out of date) The store manager tried to tell me that the dating system is different with every company. That is true and I am aware of that…but the cans were clearly dated with the month, day and complete year. When I showed him the bottom of the can he was at a loss for words. He gave me my money back and I went to check the shelves and found 4 more out of date cans, which i took to the manager.
Now, I check the dates on everything that I buy at Safeway and if I find a product that is outdated, I take it up to the customer service desk.
I guess that the manager must have gotten tired or me bringing things up to the customer service desk, because i have not found any outdated products in the last few months.
Only if they have a program where a doctor will see you and write the prescriptions, free or at a low cost. A doctor must base the new prescriptions on your past and current condition.
A doctor must decide whether your continued prescription should remain the same, be adjusted, or even be replaced by something else that might help you more. Many drugs should not be prescribed longer than a certain amount of time. Furthermore, your body could get used to one drug after a while and you may not still be getting the same results and you might be switched to something else for that reason.
Also, sometimes a drug might have been found out to have side effects that weren't known about before and the doctor may decide to switch you to something safer.
All these decisions will most often be determined based on your replies to the doctor's questions plus maybe one or more blood/urine tests.
Of course, this is all based on the assumption that you'll be seeing a good doctor. I don't believe that the odds are good of that happening if you get a doctor doing your examination under a free or very low cost government program where there's a line a mile long with people who can't afford a regular doctor… by appointment, who's been chosen by the patient because he's/she's good.
Hamas denied them getting treatment in Israel. and they took most of aid that should have gone to the people.
It's a joke, like every other government agency. It needs revamping. Disorganized. This comes from my previous experience in dealing with them. Just call them, when you talk to someone on the phone you will see why. The Dept of Health and Human Services has NEVER helped me, the government denies me for welfare because I am white. I can't get food stamps because I am the wrong color. Then, my neighbor sits next door smoking marijuana all day, and refuses to get a job. While I try to go to college and work. The government doesn't help those who need it. I know I am referring to the Board of Social Services, but Dept of Health and Human Services is supposed to help individuals also.
Policies are too strict, people that shouldn't get assistance do. People that need it don't.
Yes, you should feel obligated to report them. Just so you are aware they will keep it confidential and no one needs to know it was you. If it's fear of reprimand from the bosses and such, you can keep your name out of it. If it's fear of being unemployed, there are other places to work. Please, don't wait until a little kid or old lady dies from botulism or ecoli. They are the high risk groups. You think the theatre has problems now…… Good luck. I hope you make the right decisions and report it.
Yeah. they will come periodically and check out the kitchen and dining area for cleanliness, and to ensure that you are safely preparing food. they will check you all the time, and in Texas, you have to keep the most current report posted for the public to see.
Look in the phone book under Orange County for county health department.
your contractor should get all the appropriate permits you need for the job along with having it inspected after installation
Great work Israel,as usual…
in ga you can go to any county you want to. check with your helth department and find out!
shame, better to die in honor. We don’t want war, we simply want peace. I wish the Camp David 2000 agreements were successful, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Dr. Elihu Richter has a good article about the admittance of Gazans to Israel through the Erez Crossing for medical treatment (in spite of terror attacks) at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs website.
At the clinic they did a pregnancy test and ultrasound ..than the Tech signed a paper that confirmed pregnancy that I could send in with my other information.
I dought it if you aint got US citzenship goverment is getting tons of flack about immigration right now………why dont you go to your country and work
Black Mold is serious and it can ruin your health. When you breath the mold spores are pulled into your lungs. The lungs are a perfect spot for mold to live and mulitple. And it is hard to kill off. I stays in your system affecting areas of your health such as memory loss, lack or coordination, dizziness, coughing, tired all the time, and much more. Many people have lived with the effects for years as there is no real cure.
But before you get too scared, black mold is a type of mold and it has a very long name. It is caused from years of moisture problems and rarely happens overnight. You can get it quicker if the conditons are right and it can spread until it ruins a building.
Just because you see mold and it is black, it does not mean it is the terrible "Black Mold" as it may be another type. There are many types of mold. None are good for you but many you can cure. Any type of mold needs to be addressed and the moisture problems need to be corrected.
Any water damage that is left un-fixed should be reported first to the Property Manager or the owner. If no action in a reasonable amount of time, call the heath department or building inspector. A building inspector will inspect the whole building and close it down in health hazards exist or it is not up to code. The owner will have to board it up and vacate tenants and this nulls your lease.
If the owner takes action and fixes the building problems in the time given by the inspector, you will have to stay and pay off your lease. Many times numerous other items show up, especially on older buildings, and the owners can not afford to fix all the problems. This happened to me and I am in Real Estate.
A old Victorian building I owned with 7 units was turned in the the inspector. He came out an wrote 5 pages of violations. Like the foundation was not to code the windows were too small by 1/4 inch and minor stuff. We had to board it up and vacate tenants. We did not agree with the findings as this was an old building and many like it were all over the area. We later found out the Hospital wanted our property to build a parking garage. They came while we were suffering with the mortgage and the vacated building and offered us a low low figure. We took it as we had no choice. But this example shows you just how ruthless a Building Inspector can be.
Good Luck
Yes, county employees can be really bad about returning calls.
It varies a lot. You will have to call. If you live in an urban or depressed area, you will probably have a better chance at getting it for free or very low cost. These programs can be funded by the federal government but administered by states, counties, cities or towns, or even nonprofit groups. And then again, some of them are privately funded.
Unless you put your city and state here and someone sees it and knows, you will simply have to call. Or on second thought, you might be able to find out by doing a web search also.
I assume the problem is real based on what you describe. It is a serious health issue.
There are several options that the Health Dept can take. I suspect they will receive a court-backed order to hook you to the sewer line and place a lien against your house for the costs involved.
Also, your neighbors could sue the pjs out of you if you do not rectify the situation post haste. You could also face suits from a variety of environmental groups.
Best deal with the real issue.
Israel keeps offering the hand of peace, and the rotweiler keeps trying to get a finger.
Yes, well depending on your income. If you don't have any insurance and a very low income they can supply it to you for free, or they might charge you, but it won't be much. Depending on the birth control it can be anywhere from $5-$40. [also, again, depending on your income] You can call and ask, or go and talk to them.
Hope this helps
A. No
B. Supervisor in Home and Community Based Services
C. 37 years
D. Knowing I am helping the poor and elderly
E. Low pay
F. Get an advanced degree
G. Was interested in helping people. Probably wouldn't do it again.
If you have insurance, you have to tell the health department. It's fraud to say you don't have insurance and get a cheap rate.
Now then would muzzies do that for Israelis????
Are you serious? As a professional who teaches preschool students and other young learners, I am appalled that you would even consider allowing an employee to work with children in a room that contains chemicals. Your employee should not only call the Health Department, she could call whatever organization issues your license. Someone who would consider firing an employee showing concern for the welfare of children has no business working with preschoolers. You deserve to be reported!
Yes. Planned Parenthood does IUD's and they are located in most cities/towns.
The Department of Health will provide you a copy.
I feel sorry for the palestinians that don’t support hamas. They are the innocents in all this.
God bless Israel!
no hun you don't have to have a parent