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Alberta Patients' Medical
Data Available
On-Line
By Jill
Mahoney
The Globe and Mail
10-23-3
- EDMONTON -- The Alberta
government unveiled an on-line database of patients' medical information
yesterday in a move that it hopes will improve treatment and save
lives.
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- The Alberta Electronic Health Record is expected to be
used by almost all health professionals in the province by early 2005.
While other provinces, including Saskatchewan, are also developing
electronic health records, Alberta's program -- already in use by some
professionals -- will be the most extensive in the country.
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- The Internet database allows doctors, nurses,
pharmacists and other professionals to view and update patients'
prescription histories, allergies and lab test results.
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- Users, who will undergo security checks, need an
electronic tag, ID code and password to access the system, which makes a
record of all contact to help with audits.
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- Health Minister Gary Mar said the database --
voluntary for health workers, but mandatory for patients -- is as secure
as possible, but those who use it improperly will face fines of up to
$50,000.
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- "We do take this concern, properly expressed by
Albertans, that their most private of information is very essential to
protect," he said. "We will do that, and we will view very dimly ...
individuals who improperly use this information."
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- Frank Work, Alberta's Information and Privacy
Commissioner, said while the government has built in top security
measures, it is still possible that accredited users could snoop in
records of non-patients or that outsiders could hack into the
system.
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- "I don't know what to say other than these concerns
exist. I mean, if the Pentagon and Microsoft can be hacked, I suppose
anything can be," he said.
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- Mr. Mar said the information will "emphatically" not
be given or sold to pharmaceutical companies, insurance firms and other
for-profit businesses.
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- New Democrat Leader Raj Pannu said yesterday's
announcement appears to be the first step in creating a "U-Pay" health
scheme, which would result in medical savings accounts -- a set amount
of money per year that the government sets aside for each person to
"buy" health services, beyond which the individuals must also contribute
-- and variable premiums that would charge more to people who use the
system more. Both measures, along with an electronic database for
patients' clinical information, were recommended two years ago by a
provincial health-care review.
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- Asked about those possibilities, Mr. Mar said: "That
is not in our plan, period." However, he said the system could one day
be used to track a person's health-care usage and costs.
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- Mr. Mar said while the goal of the system -- which
cost $59-million to develop -- was to improve patient outcomes, it could
also save money by eliminating duplicated tests and even save
lives.
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- For example, if a patient with identification arrives
unconscious at an emergency room, doctors could find his or her medical
history and tailor treatment accordingly. As well, the database alerts
users to patients' medication allergies and gives doctors access to
clinical guidelines for treatment.
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- "This is a powerful tool," said Allen Ausford, an
Edmonton physician who has helped design the the system and has been
test-driving it for several months."It makes a big difference in the
kind of care that we can deliver."
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- � 2003 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
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- http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/
TPStory/LAC/20031022/URECON/TPHealth/ |
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