This sounds like a good idea in concept, but first of all we have to get people to “read”.  One other item worth a mention is the fact that by the time the information is published, it’s out of date.  Google and Microsoft protect the enterprise and government so perhaps you think that maybe their security policies, that are much more stringent than those of HIPAA provisions might be worth a mention too. 

When this is finalized, I would like to see the members of Congress, maybe the Senate read it first so they too know what a PHR is, as a few months ago during the hearings on healthcare, none of them seemed to know what a Personal Health Record was, so could they be the pilot consumers on this template and let us know?  Representatives from both Kaiser Permanente and Microsoft fielded the questions very graciously.  It would be nice to have some role models in place and help stop the evolution of “Magpie Healthcare”.  

Devices reporting data need to also be centralized in in PHR before we have data going all over the place too, a big issue with privacy and who has the say in where and who gets to see the information generated.  The PHR can be the focal point to accomplish this without 3rd parties having the data transmitted without the involvement of the patient and physician in this effort.  By the time they get done with a template, there will be 100 more devices on the market with data reporting features, so in my opinion, this issue needs the attention right now, and the template can show up later. 

Has anyone taken notice of the Bluetooth inhaler soon to be on the market?   This is a good example of information that needs to go to a PHR instead of perhaps a wellness coach working for an insurance company.  Employees are enticed to be attached to devices that report even much more than this and the choice needs to be retained by the PATIENT, not the risk management Insurance company, who may be offering employers incentives for lower rates too with employee participation. This is a bigger privacy issue that is a bomb waiting to explode. The information needs to go to a common gathering place, like the PHR and shared by the patient if they choose, not going to some other 3rd party application and viewed by individuals outside the realm of the patients control, and it almost is removing the doctor from the entire scenario in the process and depending on how the program works, conflicts between the doctor and wellness folks could occur if not done with team efforts. 

We don’t trust insurance companies as they tend to have a big lack of transparency and devices that would make one electronically “prove’ when they took their medicine, how many steps they walked in a day, how many hours they sleep each night is what I believe to be intrusive.  Some of the device companies state they are targeting insurance companies to expand their market too.   Those devices are out there, plenty of them mentioned in posts on this blog, so this is no longer Sci-Fi, its here, but you have to read to keep up and the template is not going to be a huge factor here unless the data reporting devices that are out there come under the connectivity of a PHR so we don’t end up sacrificing privacy in in the process.  BD 

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is developing a model, or template, to enable personal health records vendors to better inform consumers about privacy, security and information management policies.

"Given the newness of the electronic PHR concept, the different ways to establish PHRs, and the sensitivity of personal health information, ONC is taking steps to establish that useful facts about PHRs and PHR privacy policy information be made available to consumers so they can make informed decisions about selecting and using PHRs," according to a notice published May 22 in the Federal Register. "The model will be developed to allow presentation of important PHR facts and policies to consumers, allow consumers to understand and consistently compare PHR service provider policies with others, and focus on the key information that may influence decisions and choices of PHR service provider."

Feds Prepare PHR Model

Related Reading:

Senators Holding Closed Door Sessions Discussing 3 health-insurance plans – Why Are the Doors Closed?

U.S. Congress has an inadequate understanding Value of Health IT – HIMMS Opening Session
Think tank details its ideas for use of health IT records – Do they use a PHR?
Clinical Trials in the US – Begin involving the physicians and patients at the point of care to achieve greater success and participation with Personal Health Records
Do You Know What Your Doctor Is Talking About – Read up and help stamp out “Magpie Healthcare”

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