CIO Report
MMT 2007 Volume: 11 Issue: 7 (October)
Patients Become Partners in Health Care Records
Charles M. Campbell
Military Health System
Chief Information Officer
The pilot, launched at Madigan Army Medical Center in Fort Lewis, Wash., allowed the Department of Defense MHS to provide individual patients access to some of the same information stored in the military’s electronic health record.
The concept for this pilot began in March 2008 in partnership with Google and Microsoft, with a focus on incorporating the services and features offered by commercial vendors as a way to expedite the development and expand the capabilities of the military’s personal health record. DoD partnered with Google and Microsoft based on their industry leadership in health information technology, stringent data security protocols and adaptive services. Both vendors offer products that could be used at no charge to the beneficiary. The overall goal was to develop a resource that would provide beneficiaries with a safe and reliable location to store their medical records.
The process of moving electronic health record information to a personal health record is easier than some may think.
When a patient enrolls in MiCare, the data starts to flow. Starting on day one, 24 months of medical history is uploaded to the personal health record. This data may include demographic details, lab results, known allergies, appointments, radiology reports, recent procedures, diagnosed conditions, active prescriptions, immunizations, and inpatient and outpatient records.
The personal health record allows patients to update their files and includes other information such as over-the-counter medications and vitamins. Some medical equipment, such as glucose monitors and peak flow monitors, can also send data to the personal health record. The beneficiary has complete control over who looks at the data and what information can be seen.
DoD safely stores health information needed to support personal health record functions by leveraging both Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault as protected, patientcontrolled repositories. Both platforms offer beneficiaries a secure place to store, manage and distribute their own personal health information.
The MiCare personal health record allows us to take captured health information from the military’s electronic health record on every patient and provide that information to beneficiaries in ways we have never been able to do previously. The information available on the personal health record includes all care given, including while deployed in theater.
As a result, patients may share their personal health record information with other health care providers or family members through an Internet connection while knowing their information is in a secure environment that meets legally dictated privacy requirements for health records.
While the sharing of health information is critical, ensuring that appropriate protocols are in place to secure and protect data and maintain the integrity of the patient’s medial records is also a top priority. We are committed to ensuring that the health information remains secure, whether it is in an electronic health record or a personal health record. For example, sensitive information, such as date of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses or other contact information, is not stored. MiCare also does not store medical records in any form. The information is never saved, but is simply passed securely and directly to and from the personal health record via an encrypted channel.
An electronic health record and a personal health record are not the same. An electronic health record includes an individual patient’s medical record in digital format. Similar to data recorded in paper-based medical records, the data in an electronic health record is protected, and stringent privacy regulations dictate what information clinicians may provide to patients and their families.
However, when information from the electronic health record is fed into an individual personal health record, beneficiaries are able to take control of the management and distribution of information. For example, the personal health record collects and tracks up-to-date health information for each patient, and the data can be shared with a private-sector health care provider or a family member who may be serving as the designated care provider.
Our ultimate goal is eventually to develop a single repository for Defense Department recordkeeping and department-wide access. However, we still have more work to do.
Each day, thousands of incredibly dedicated and talented health care providers and health informatics experts push us further ahead. With the success of the pilot at Madigan behind us, we will move forward looking for innovative ideas and solutions that will allow us to make health information more accessible to our beneficiaries and their loved ones at any time and in any place.
This, I believe, is truly just around the corner. ♦
For more about the Military Health System or the CIO’s efforts go to www.health.mil or contact Karen Roberts, director of MHS OCIO Communications, at (703) 681-8836.