Digital health records: Good or bad?

The internet has obviously revolutionized the way information is stored, and the storage space is getting bigger. According to an article on CNN.com, “Microsoft opens personal health record site”, Microsoft is coming out with a new program that will allow people to store medical records online. Many insurance companies and other healthcare providers are creating their own programs. Also, both Google and Wal-Mart are hedging in on the potentially money making venture. Patients will be able to easily upload data onto the site, and manage it by having a feature that will allow them to send it to doctors or pharmacies when needed. In many ways, this can be a very good thing. Information will be readily available, and can be assessed quickly in an emergency.

Of course there are obviously thorny issues associated with these new software programs. Of course as with anything else related to the web, there is the dilemma of privacy. Consumers might be very reluctant to put sensitive medical information online. Attorney Reece Hirsch, of the law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal in San Francisco states "There's a lot of emotional distress associated with inappropriate disclosure of that [medical] information." Therefore, it is extremely important the software creators put extra care into privacy. It is fundamental that the law does the same. Right now, Microsoft’s new program does not apply to state medical privacy rules. One reason is because the concept is so new, and another reason is because it is seen as a doctor just handing information over like in person but only electronically. If the legal system does not catch up, this can open a Pandora’s box of privacy problems.

Currently, identify theft is a huge crisis. Right now, hackers can ruin someone financially. With these new programs, they will be able to destroy one medically. A hacker could potential get into these systems and cancel prescriptions, delete files, share private information with outsiders, change data, or even change an address so prescriptions get mailed to them instead. When identity theft happens, it can take months to sort out the problem. A patient needing medical attention can’t wait that long.

Another potential dilemma is if a medical provider is trying to treat a patient who lets say hypothetically is unconscious. It would be a huge asset to the doctors (and the patients) if the doctors could be able to quickly and easily see the patient’s medical history without the patient’s formal consent aka having the patient type in his password and log on. On the other hand, there need to be safeguards to prevent anyone pretending to be a doctor to assess them. These and others are important issues in law that needs to be resolved before these digital medical cabinets become too big.