We have every piece of technology we need to share patient health records, reports NFL Chief Information Officer Michelle McKenna-Doyle. Instead, the issue is bickering amongst the network of hospitals, doctors, HMOs, insurance companies and technology providers that all have a stake in your electronic health records.
While us regular Americans have our health compromised by greedy companies looking to lock down the market or drag their feet on integration to the direct detriment of our health, the NFL is blazing a trail. The NFL’s current system could in fact be used as the model for Electronic Medical Records going forward.
Right now team doctors and the league have access to player medical records on desktop, tablet and mobile phone. The records contain every checkup, doctor’s note, prescription, MRI and medical procedure the player has had going all the way back to highschool.
But it wasn’t easy, says McKenna-Doyle. The league has had to repeatedly bully various parties into opening up their systems. In one case commissioner Roger Goodell called a hospital CEO and personally admonished them for holding back a player’s medical records.
This shows just how many obstructions remain in the quest to share your medical records electronically and get the benefits of near perfect information regardless of which doctor you visit.
While we’re all for small government, this feels like an area where your elected representatives ought to get involved. Not everyone can have the commish call on their behalf but everyone is certainly entitled to the best healthcare possible.
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