Medical Databases

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Medical Databases

• Daniel Sarvis

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Types

• Database containing patients complete medical
  records
• Medical Information Bureau (MIB)
• Hospital Databases
• Database containing general overview of medical
  conditions available for physician or public use.
• National Institutes of Health Database
• Combined Health Information Database

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Advantages

• Regional information networks to share electronic
  medical records, which reduces paperwork, helps
  with billing, identifies the most cost-effective
  treatment, and fights against false claims.
• A person's medical information immediately
  available for the attending doctor. If an
  individual was injured in another part of the
  country, the attending physicians would have the
  patient's entire medical history at their
  fingertips.
• Allows researchers to track certain diseases as
  well as to patients' responses to certain drugs.
  This information could be valuable to drug
  companies for research purpose.
• Allow for better organization and more legibility
  of medical files.
• Since elaborate security systems can be developed
  to monitor these medical databases, electronic
  records may actually be more secure than paper
  records. Anyone can steal and/or fax a copy of a
  paper record without leaving a trace.

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Disadvantages

• Employers might have access to medical
  information about their employees and then based
  on this information deny employment or job
  advancement.
• Based on past medical information, people are
  fearful that they might be denied insurance
  because they are considered to be high risk.
• There is a fear that digitizing records will
  allow many more people legitimate access to
  medical records. This information can easily be
  misused if it is accessed by so many individuals.

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Privacy

• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
  Act (HIPAA)
• Applies to medical records maintained by health
  care providers, health plans, and health
  clearinghouses
• Protected health information Oral,
  handwritten, or digital medical information
  combined with a method of identifying who the
  information belongs to.

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Discussion

• Can medical records really be secure?
• How can hospitals and other health entities try
  to increase safety of medical records?
• Is paper or is electronic the way to go?

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References

• http//health.nih.gov/
• http//chid.nih.gov/
• http//www.lbl.gov/
• http//www.privacyrights.org