2009 is a year of change and hope. But, it's not sure that change will be favorable when hurried through congress in break-neck speed. The economic stimulus bill that President Obama only signed comprises laws that will set a national computerized health records database which will contain information on each taxpayer. Additionally, the laws will induce doctors to adopt electronic medical records (EMRs) that meet government criteria and standards.

 

There are 3 chief difficulties with this new laws. It eliminates patient decision regarding disclosure of the medical records. Secondly, it produces a high-value target for internet criminals. Third, it eliminates liberty of choice to doctors.

 

A nationwide database containing information on"every American" by definition proscribes individual decision. Even though the legislation states involvement is voluntary, it doesn't have any steps for picking out of this machine. What's more, the database is going to be utilized for biosurveillance, public health, in addition to research purposes. It's uncertain what"biosurveillance" means at that moment. But, it's apparent that any citizen within this data base is going to not have a control over their records.

 

Online databases of health data have traditionally been high-value aims for e-criminals. Medical databases are desired since they generally include the information required to perpetrate identity theft. Furthermore, there are many recorded episodes of hospital record systems made available online via poor server configuration or administrative mistake. The government has a lackluster history concerning computer security. The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) has been commissioned to boost safety, but its success was marginal. To get more information click On Five Fingers

 

The authorities will use Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to induce physicians to embrace an EMR that suits government specifications. Though we don't understand what these specifications will demand, they will be of a"one size fits none" character. Specifications made by committees tend to change quickly and be unnecessarily intricate. Implementing medical documents is a challenging job without being made to embrace an overly costly and intricate system.

 

Even though there's surely a need to encourage doctors to adopt EMRs, the present strategy of execution through laws has many issues including patient privacy, safety of health data, and freedom of choice.