Articles by HealthWorldNetThe idea of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) originated about 40 years ago but despite the entry in the past two years by the digital gorillas Microsoft with HealthVault and Google with Google Health, the overall medical marketplace still has not embraced EMRs with open arms.
Hospitals have tended to be the first to incorporate EMRs in one form or another, but most of the time the technology they use is non standardized which makes it hard to share data between neighboring hospitals never mind between doctor’s offices and patients homes. It’s similar to attempting to transfer data from a PC to a Mac in the old days.
Furthermore, both doctors and patients have been slow to adopt this technology for a multitude of reasons including privacy and security issues. We hesitate to say it, but it’s no surprise…the medical establishment prefers the status quo.
However EMRs are back in the limelight again from the involvement of Google Health and Microsoft’s HealthVault, to blogs talking more than ever about EMRs. We especially like Dr. Bill Crounse’s take on this important issue as evidenced in a recent HealthBlog commentary.
And with US President Barack Obama’s recent declaration on January 20th, that “…we will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology’s wonders to raise healthcare’s quality and lower its costs,” ... there Is hope for A Healthier World.