e-health blueprint
The AMA welcomes the opportunity to raise concerns and provide input to the way that the proposed personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR) will operate.
AMA Vice President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that the draft e-health records blueprint, Concept of Operations, will require careful consideration, particularly in respect to the medical information that will be stored on the PCEHR, and who will have access to it.
Dr Hambleton said that further consultation around the access to medical information is vital if the PCEHR is to get broad support from the medical profession and the community.
“If we do not get the right information on to the record, with the right people having access to it, we will be failing the people who most need an electronic health record,” Dr Hambleton said.
“The AMA has long been a strong supporter of e-health and shared electronic records.
“It is the way ahead but we must ensure that the electronic sharing of medical information is secure and in the best interests of the health of the patient.
“The Government’s key selling point of the PCEHR is that patients will control who has access to their information.
“But this will not lead to safer care or reduce adverse medication events if all treating doctors do not have access to the critical medical information.
“Doctors have to be sure that the medical information on the PCEHR comes from a trusted source, without material omissions.
“Only medical practitioners should contribute medical information to the PCEHR.
“And we would be very concerned if a patient could change medical information that could distort the medical record.
“In the first instance, the critical information that should be in the PCEHR is current medication, discharge summaries, and pathology and diagnostic imaging results.
“The AMA supports the other parts of the record being patient controlled, but there must be reliable, accurate, medical information to sit beside the person-controlled information.
“An audit trail of who has accessed the record would address concerns about patient privacy.
“We will make a detailed submission in response to the draft document,” Dr Hambleton said.
12 April 2011
CONTACT: John Flannery 02 6270 5477 / 0419 494 761
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