Insurers move to provide PHRs for members

Link: Health Business Daily

Thanks to Martin Trussell for sharing his post on the topic of health plan innovations using web portals and online tools. He referenced an article at AISHealth.com where they discussed initiatives planned by UnitedHealth Group, Aetna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield to launch personal health records for their members online. I wrote about Blue Cross Blue Shield's plans to have them online by year-end 2009.

Aetna Inc. reports they will give their members access to Microsoft Corp.'s HealthVault PHR. Blue Cross Blue Shield will provide members with the ability to import claims-based health information into the Google Health online PHR. UnitedHealth Group is offering a free public Web portal to their members using myOptumHealth.com which is a health and wellness subsidiary.

It seems these insurers and their offerings will provide not only access to patient records, but also provide information on evidence-based health and wellness information (e.g. smoking cessation). One of the points made about these offerings is that these EHR portals can provide information to customers about the available network of physicians, as well as providing physicians with the ability to send reminders to their patients. One of the downsides mentioned in the article includes advertising from pharmaceutical companies. Another issue mentioned is that physicians are wary of PHRs because they don't really understand how it ads value or fits within their healthcare delivery practice.

Fears among individuals that have their information online, is the perceived vulnerability to unauthorized access to their health information. I think these offerings are a step forward in the grand scheme of things, but of course, security issues must also be addressed. But when you consider that many people are using online banking and internet purchases have become a mainstay of the American (and other populations) purchasing landscape, I would personally be more concerned about someone hacking into my check book than into my health records (e.g. there's more money to be made hacking into your wallet).

Secure access with authentication is not only a technology problem, but it is also an issue for users of a PHR. Users of these systems must use best practices to take responsibility to ensure that their records are securely maintained. I strongly recommend that you NEVER post your User Id and Password on a little yellow sticky and put it on your computer monitor! Believe or or not, it does happen - more often than you think!

But it seems we're on to something big and a step that could dramatically change the landscape of healthcare delivery. Information about how to prevent disease is less costly than treating disease.

I am glad to hear that we are, once again, moving forward - albeit slowly, but surely - with electronic health records. The more information we have about our care, our medical conditions, our tests and outcomes, provides the ability to be more active in choosing how our medical/health care is being addressed.