The Electronic Health Record is globally accepted as a necessity:

• to better meet patient expectations,
• to expedite many tedious work processes such as prescription writing and creation of chart notes, service administration, research, planning and audit, communication between patients and providers, fiscal governance
• to create new ways in which the health of our patients can be improved
• to improve cost efficiency due to raising demands of healthcare and the aging population
• Portability - travel, second opinions, emigration, working abroad, distant working and support for developing countries and as part of aid, war, famine and assistance to refugees While professional experience with the EHR is generally positive, there are even more opportunities for improving care with the EHR once patients have access to their own records.

Evidence-based benefits include:

• Improving the relationship between clinician and patient
• Improving trust between patient and clinician
• Practical support for patients in managing their health
• Improving compliance
• Patients feel empowered to make decisions about their health?
• More efficient use of consulting time

The Record Access Collaborative is being developed as a service to the public, patients, health services and industry. The aim is to bring together those across the world who have an interest in seeing record access more widely available and maximising benefits that flow from it and to be instrumental in managing practical and technical aspects concerning patient record access in relation to local/national policies.
Read more on the goals of the RAC.

RAC Newsletter December 2007

Source:

“Welcome to the Record Access Collaborative Progress Report which covers the last 3 months or so. As always activity and developments in the field have been steady.
In the UK, Wales is developing full records access to practices. HealthSpace has begun its pilots, accompanied as always by controversy. EMIS/PAERS has gone national, switching on all EMIS practices for record access if they want to take it up.
In Europe, we feature France and Germany as they begin trials of record access. In the US, Microsoft and Google are entering the field, stimulating a lot of controversy, reflected here.
Patient experiences are featured again and remain very positive.
As an introduction, however, we feature 2 important contributions. The first is a letter from the GMC endorsing record access in principle – we see this as reassuring to clinicians. Also, a link to an interesting and balanced overview of record access from the BMJ.”
Newsletter
Brian Fisher, December 2007

7 January 2008 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA General, RA News, RAC, Record Access | EHR: EHR

RAC Newsletter July 2007

Source:

“As usual, there has been a lot going on, both in the UK and elsewhere.
In the UK, the highlights are perhaps:

• the Early Adopter sites for the Summary Care Record going live in 2 areas of the UK.
• The continuing enlargement of the 100 practice pilot enabling an increasing number of practices to enable full patient record access
• The pushing forward of the eHealthCard that is now being offered to practices in the UK
• The resignation of Richard Granger who runs the IT programme in the UK. This may offer a more open approach to IT development

In Europe, the recent ICMCC conference in Amsterdam highlighted record access and offered a number of concrete developments, in Estonia, the Czech Republic and in the Netherlands.
But first, developments outside Europe.”
Newsletter
Brian Fisher, July 2007

16 July 2007 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA General, RA News, RAC, Record Access | EHR: EHR

RAC Contribution by Denis Protti

Source:

A rare treat! We have an original article by Prof Denis Protti, Professor, Health Information Science at University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, written especially for this Record Access Collaborative edition.
[ More ]

4 June 2007 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA General, RA News, RAC, Record Access | EHR: EHR

RAC Newsletter March 2007

Source:

“The record access collaborative is being developed as a service to the public, patients, the NHS and industry. The aim is to bring together those who have an interest in seeing record access more widely available and maximising benefits that flow from it.
The NHS has made a clear statement of principle that patients should be able to access their records, subject to legal safety restrictions. There is good evidence of substantial benefits for patients.”
Newsletter
Brian Fisher, March 2007

29 March 2007 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA General, RA News, RAC, Record Access | EHR: EHR

Electronic Medical Records – Get It? Got ‘Em?

Source: Trisha Torrey, About.com

I do a lot of public speaking to groups of patients, and some of those talks include mention of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), also called EHRs (electronic health records.)
[ More ]

11 March 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Patient

How to reconcile Kaiser’s statements about who can access patient data

Source: Dissent, Personal Health Information Privacy

“Two reports of how Kaiser Permanente approaches security left this blogger scratching her head last week as the reports might seem to contradict each other. And because the VA Watchdog had the same questions I have, I decided to follow-up.
[ More ]

9 March 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Privacy

Los catalanes podrán acceder a su historial clínico por Internet a partir de julio

Source: El País

La consulta del historial clínico a través de Internet en Cataluña empezará a aplicarse a partir del segundo semestre de 2010, según anunció hoy la consellera de Salud, Marina Geli.
[ More ]

5 March 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA General, RA News, Record Access | Country: Spain | EHR: EHR, EHR Spain | Tags: Access, Internet, Medical History, Patient

UPMC develops two-way record

Source: Sarah Bruce, e-Health Europe

“The University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre has developed a personal, bidirectional health record that will enable patients to add health information to records maintained by doctors and hospitals.
[ More ]

3 March 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Google-Health, Patient, phr

GP leaders forced to produce care record advice

Source: Richard Staines, Pulse

“London LMCs have created an online information resource for GPs to ensure they are aware of roll-out of the Summary Care Record across the capital.
[ More ]

25 February 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access, UK EHR | Country: UK | EHR: EHR, EHR UK | Tags: GP, Opt out, Patient, summary-care-records

Standards panel wrestles with patient access to EHRs under new rule

Source: Diana Manos, Healthcare IT News

“Members of the Health IT Standards Committee believe more federal clarification will be required surrounding patient access to their electronic health records (EHRs), as required under the interim final rule on standards and certification.
[ More ]

25 February 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Patient, Standards

Onlinedossier geeft patiënt de regie

Source: Medisch Contact

“‘Als dokters hebben wij ons de ziekte onterecht toegeëigend. Maar de patiënt moet de regie terugkrijgen’, zegt Bart van Aken, gynaecoloog en directeur innovatie in het Flevoziekenhuis in Almere. Hij maakt zich er al jaren hard voor: patiënten hebben recht op informatie over hun ziekte, zodat ze de regie kunnen voeren.
[ More ]

23 February 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: Netherlands | EHR: EHR, EHR Netherlands | Tags: Access, Hospitals, Patient, Record Sharing

Defining Meaningful Use

Source:

“Now is when the rubber meets the road. For most of 2009, vendors, hospital leaders, consultants and other industry experts professed to know what it will take to achieve meaningful use of electronic health records. But then the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in December issued its proposed rule. As IT experts read through the 500-plus pages, it became clear where the federal government was setting the bar and how far providers had to climb.
[ More ]

16 February 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Meaningful Use

N.H. house bill to empower patients

Source: Patty Enrado, EHRWatch

“Is third time the charm for New Hampshire? Legislators in New Hampshire have been trying to pass legislation that gives patients control over who sees their medical records. Under HB 1649, patients can request an audit of who has accessed their electronic medical records.
[ More ]

10 February 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Empowerment, Legal, Patient

How Much Information Should Patients See? All of it

Source: Keith W. Boone, Healthcare Standards

“One of the provisions of the HITECH Act and the regulations that have been either created or proposed as a result of it is that patients should be given copies of their health information, including problems, medications and allergies, but also discharge summaries, instructions and procedures.
[ More ]

8 February 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Health Information, Patient

MedischeGegevens.nl biedt inzage in ziekenhuisdossier

Source: NPCF

“medischegegevens.nl maakt persoonlijke medische informatie direct toegankelijk voor patiënten in een veilige internet-omgeving.
[ More ]

2 February 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: Netherlands | EHR: EHR, EHR Netherlands | Tags: Access, Hospitals, Patient

Patients demand health records. Employers can help.

Source: Collin Evans, Dossia Blog

“A recent CNN.com article (http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/14/medical.records) entitled “Patients demand: ‘Give us our damned data’” highlights the barriers that many patients must overcome in order to get access to their own medical records.
[ More ]

30 January 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Patient, phr

Americans Don’t Trust Feds to Protect Patient Health Record Database

Source: Cheryl Clark, HealthLeaders Media

“Nearly two-thirds of Americans who answered a phone survey last month said they do not trust the federal government–including the U.S. Health and Human Services Agency–to protect their health record privacy.
[ More ]

27 January 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Privacy, Security

As Health Files Go Digital, Patients May Spot Unpleasant Surprises

Source: Fred Schulte, Huffington Post Investigative Fund

“When Kaiser Permanente started giving patients online access to their medical records nearly five years ago, it offered the same lab reports doctors saw—complete with warning flags highlighting any abnormal results.
[ More ]

27 January 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Patient

Requirement to Provide Patients an Electronic Copy of Their Record

Source: Brian Ahier, Healthcare IT

“The proposed rule on meaningful use will require that patients are provided with an electronic copy of their health information (including diagnostic test results, problem list, medication lists, and allergies) upon request.
[ More ]

21 January 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Patient, Portal

Patient Portal Provides Secure Online Access to Medical Records

Source: theMobileHealthCrowd

“According to LSS Data Systems, Citizens Memorial Healthcare have rolled out their web-based LSS Patient Portal. Since their pilot implementation at two of their clinics last spring, CMH has extended the portal to patients to approximately 10 of their clinics, enabling secure online access to their medical record information via Citizens’ own web site.
[ More ]

20 January 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Empowerment, Patient, Portal, secure-access

Zorgportaal Rijnmond maakt uitwisselen patiëntengegevens makkelijker en veiliger

Source: Medicalfacts

“Zorgverleners in de regio Rijnmond kunnen binnenkort gemakkelijker medische informatie met elkaar delen. Daardoor daalt de kans op medicatiefouten of, bijvoorbeeld, het over het hoofd zien van een allergie. Zorginstellingen die deel uitmaken van het Zorgportaal Rijnmond gaan hiertoe gebruikmaken van dezelfde internationale standaarden.
[ More ]

13 January 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: Netherlands | EHR: EHR, EHR Netherlands | Tags: CCD, Health Information Exchange, Hospitals, Medication Errors, SNOMED, Standards

Now Reading: Proposed CMS Rule for EHR Incentives (from a patient access perspective)

Source: Ted Eytan, MD

“I love rules and regulations, and I don’t mean that sarcastically, because a rule or a regulation isn’t a rule or regulation.
[ More ]

11 January 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Incentives, Meaningful Use, Patient

Tory manifesto has records for all

Source: Sarah Bruce, e-Health Insider

“David Cameron has promised that online health records will underpin a new direction for the NHS if the Conservative Party is elected in this year’s general election.
[ More ]

4 January 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access, UK EHR | Country: UK | EHR: EHR, EHR UK | Tags: Access, Ownership

Now Reading: “Concern that sharing information with patients may cause sustained psychological distress is probably unfounded”

Source: Ted Eytan, MD

“I’m not that smart and my ideas are not that unique.
This is why I enjoy writing the posts that are tagged “where we came from” on this blog.
[ More ]

18 December 2009 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Information Sharing, Meaningful Use, Patient, Transparency

Will Electronic Personal Health Records Benefit Providers and Patients in Rural America?

Source: Hargreaves, John S., Telemedicine and e-Health, 2010

Purpose:
The objective of this study was to educate stakeholders (e.g., providers, patients, insurers, government) in the healthcare industry about electronic personal health records (PHRs) and their potential application in rural America.
[ More ]

20 January 2010 | No Comments »
Categories: RA Research, Record Access, Science | Country: USA | EHR: EHR | Tags: Access, Awareness, Patient, phr, Quality, Rural

Implementation of an emergency medical card and a continuity of care

Source: Olola, C. H. O. et al, Methods of Information in Medicine, 48(6)

Objectives:
To describe the design and implementation procedures for an emergency medical card (EMC) and a continuity of care (CoC) report using the continuity of care record (CCR) standard. We also describe studies to evaluate the effectiveness of these documents in CoC.
[ More ]

13 December 2009 | No Comments »
Categories: Patients, RA Research, Record Access, Science | Country: USA | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: CCR, Standards

Adopting Confidentiality Principles for Electronic Health Records in Iran: A Delphi Study

Source: Farzandipour, Mehrdad et al, Journal of Medical Systems, online first

A growing capacity of information technologies in collection, storage and transmission of information has added a great deal of concerns since electronic records can be accessed by numerous consumers at various locations. Thus, the basic question is “what kind of Model is suitable for guaranteeing the confidentiality of EHR information in Iran?” The present study is a descriptive investigation made in Iran in 2007.
[ More ]

22 September 2009 | No Comments »
Categories: RA Research, Record Access, Science | Country: Iran | EHR: EHR Iran | Tags: Access, Confidentiality, Consent, Legal, Ownership

New Zealanders’ attitudes towards access to their electronic health records: Preliminary results from a national study using vignettes

Source: Hunter, Inga M. et al, Health Informatics Journal, 15(3)

This project investigates public attitudes towards sharing confidential personal health information held in electronic health records (EHRs). The project uses computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) to conduct a quantitative national survey of the attitudes of New Zealanders towards access to their personal health information using vignettes. Respondents are presented with vignettes which describe ways in which their health information might be used, and asked about their attitude to and consent for each type of access.
[ More ]

1 September 2009 | No Comments »
Categories: Patients, RA Research, Record Access, Science | Country: New Zealand | EHR: EHR, EHR New Zealand | Tags: Access, Consent

How Patients Use Access To Their Electronic GP Record – A Quantitative Study

Source:

Electronic medical records have been defined as “an electronic application through which individuals can access, manage and share their health information – in a private, secure and confidential environment”. There are now a number of systems across the world that en-able patients to view their medical health records. We do not know how patients make use of information they access in their records nor has the impact of access on their health behaviour been assessed. Some studies suggest that RA improves self care and compliance in chronic disease, improves relationships between patients and clinicians by breaking down barriers, providing reassurance, and improving confidence and trust. However, few studies have involved actual users of RA in primary care, although there are studies of sharing the screen with patients in a consultation. Building on earlier qualitative research (not yet published), this paper presents the findings of a survey of a large population of patients who use RA in primary care with a view to understanding who uses it, what they use it for and, from self-reported data, what impact it has on health care behaviour.

Abstract
Brian Fisher (PAERS, UK) (to be presented at ICMCC@WC2009)

20 July 2009 | 2 Comments »
Categories: 2009, RA Research, Record Access | EHR: EHR