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The Digitization of Your Medical Records

  • Article

There is widespread agreement that it's beneficial and that it could improve all aspects of medicine, but there is also much standing in the way of electronic medical records.

Computerizing medical data is an old and obvious idea. The upsides in terms of efficiency and cost have always been enormous. And yet mountains of paper and other non-electronic records continue to be generated. And those records that are electronic live on incompatible islands.

Now a series of efforts is underway across the developed world to create central databases with standardized formats for medical records. The potential advantages make some observers salivate:

  • Cost reductions - Medical care in the U.S. now costs $1.9 trillion, about 16% of GDP
  • A dynamic lifetime view of a patient's medical history, available to any authorized provider
  • Easier epidemiological studies to compare of the incidence of symptoms and the effectiveness of medications and other treatments.
  • Easier surveillance for epidemics, pandemics, and bioterror.

This excerpt was taken from a Eweek column to show just how all types of businesses are taking advantage of technology to enhance and move forward.

Have a good weekend!

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