Home

Cover Story

Table of Contents

E-Newsletter

Article Archive

Editorial Calendar

Datebook

Writers' Guidelines

Orgs/Links

Opinion Polls

Reprints

Forum

Search

March 10 - Health Record Banking: A Viable Option for Consumers?

The Louisville Health Information Exchange, Inc. (LouHIE), a nonprofit community organization based in Louisville, KY, in association with the Noblis Center for Health Innovation, recently completed an eight-week e-health research initiative intended to assess the readiness of 1.2 million consumers, their healthcare providers and related health information product and services (HIPS) firms to support a community-wide health record banking system.

Conducted in August and September of 2007, the research identified several common themes pertaining to overall community interest in participating in a health record banking (HRB) service. These include the need for a trusted not- for-profit community organization to establish the service, a trusted environment, as well as privacy and security.

The telephone based research showed that 69 percent of consumers would value a health record bank type of service, provided their physicians supported it. Twenty-four percent said they would pay an average of $5.00 per month for an account. Adding value to the telephone-based results, the focus group research found that most consumers would like the choice to opt-in to the service and decide what information to view; understood the benefits of sharing clinical information; have a desire to make sharing easier; and a need to trust the service.

"The research concludes that health record banking is an interesting choice that could be supported by most consumers," said Judah Thornewill, Acting Executive Director, LouHIE. "We are excited about the positive response and look forward to bringing a health record banking service to the Louisville community."

"As we expected, the results helped us to identify the ideal business model for the greater Louisville community," said Alan Dowling, PhD, Executive Director of the Noblis Center for Health Innovation. "We are now ready to move forward in helping LouHIE find the right vendor(s) to build and operate the health record banking system that will best suit the community."

Described as a central repository, the health record banking service provides a private and secure location for each person to store their medical records from all sources via a deposit/withdrawal process. Upon enrollment into the system, individual consumers can deposit or withdraw medical records as well as control what data can be viewed by various clinical providers.

"We believe the health record banking model is a viable choice for consumers, however it must be based on strong consumer control principles," added Barbara Cox, National Practice Director of the Information Management & Systems practice at Noblis.

Use of the health record banking model is being encouraged by the Health Record Banking Alliance (HRBA). Each of the communities that adopt this approach will have a number of tools available to them that promote consumer choice, consent, and collaboration. "Next month, the HRBA will finalize its set of health record banking principles for use by vendors and communities and will be made available on the HRBA Website," concluded William Yasnoff, President of HRBA.

Source: HIMSS

(View the Daily News Archive)