Healthcare 2.0

http://www.newsweek.com/id/164231

Whether republican, democrat, or independent, we can all acknowledge that the US healthcare system is in dire needs of a makeover! The first step may be to centralize and digitize the entire process, from individual's medical records, to tracking unpaid medical invoices and insurance coverage. What better way to accomplish this than to think about utilizing some of the Web 2.0 tools that are already available to us?

I know- your first reaction is probably, "Wait, aren't medical records private?". Yes, security is certainly a concern. Somehow, we've managed to come around to that fact that most of our personal financial information is online. I would argue that health and finances are the two matters most people tend to guard most closely. It is sad that our health system still relies on good old paper (which really isn't secure either). Imagine if we still had to go to the bank each time we wanted to check our account balances? The healthcare system is suffocating with inefficiencies and preventable errors. In fact, once records are digitized, a mechanism to track health matters could be similar to the system that credit bureaus use, albeit with greater restrictions on what parties have access. Just like we can monitor our credit records, we could challenge and correct our medical records if we found an inaccuracy.

If the right security measures are in place, we'll actually be safer than we are with printed records. Think about it- next time you land yourself in the ER, the doctors would know within seconds what your blood type is, or if you are allergic to peanuts or hazelnuts. Your specialist(s) could see what your primary care doctor has prescribed to you to make sure there aren't any risky drug interactions. You could have access to the complete medical history of your parents. This will all undoubtedly lead to improved health and efficiency. The best part is that the technology is already here to make this a reality (and is actually already outdated and being improved upon every day!); we just need to learn an efficient and open-sourced way to utilize it.

Digitalizing and sharing medical information also empowers the patient. They can track their own health concerns more easily (i.e. is my blood pressure higher or lower than it was last month?); they can ask questions in an interactive setting when they get a diagnosis (should I get a second opinion?); they can get in touch with their medical providers quickly with a concern; they can share side effects that a pharmaceutical company is tracking. Most importantly, it allows the patient to take ownership over their own health in a way that was impossible with records that were decentralized.

Regardless of who wins the election, this WILL happen; it's just a question of how quickly, how transparent medical records will become, and how receptive the public is.