Mobile health records systems are a helpful tool, that are tricky to implement.
Digitizing health records can greatly improve the ease of patient records access. It's very important that patients are able to obtain their records from home, and more specifically, right from their smartphones. However, there are often some roadblocks when it comes to easy online data retrieval. Two particular attempts to improve this process come from the Department of Veteran's Affairs and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, both of which have run into trouble along the way.
New electronic health records system for veterans
The Department of Veteran's Affairs is implementing a new system that will make it easier for veterans to share their medical records when they are transitioning. This $10 billion project would make it easier for veterans to prove injuries or illnesses that are service-related, according to Stars and Stripes.
Additionally, the VA has provided more funding for veterans to be able to seek medical attention from private-sector practitioners, which makes the added issue of having to share personal medical records with their private-sector care providers. This electronic health records system will make it much easier for the VA to share records with the private-sector, improving the process overall. The system was initially set to be released in March 2020, but had to be delayed due to many complications.
Federal Health IT Strategic Plan hopes to assist with health records digitization
The US Department of Health and Human Services has teamed up with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to produce a new proposal to assist with the issue of retrieving records online. EHR Intelligence reports that many electronic health record vendor giants are struggling to trust healthcare apps. One company, Epic Systems, reported that 79% of health care apps share or sell data. A huge percentage like that certainly does not help build trust in electronic health services.
HHS and ONC recently released the 2020-2025 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, with plans to enhance health IT infrastructure. Their goal is to make sure that both patients and providers can electronically access health information.
Easy electronic access to health care information can help improve the way that patients can retrieve their personal data. Unfortunately, it's not a simple task to digitize health care records, with obstacles such as untrustworthy apps, complicated systems and more.
