Health Insurance Articles
How A Health Information Network Changes The Speed Of Care
2010-05-06
Computers and the Internet deliver information promptly and efficiently. What if this technology, with its immediate results, was applied to the health care field? A health information network is a web of electronic medical records of hospitals, health care providers, long-term care facilities, public health organizations, radiology centers and laboratories. Providers can exchange information with other health information network participants, instantly. How can this kind of network change the speed of care?
Emergencies
Tragically, paramedics responding to the scene of an accident often find unresponsive victims. There is nothing that can be determined about existing health conditions that might require a certain type of care. A health care information network can instantly provide information about history, medications, tests, health care coverage and who the victim's doctor is. Knowing all of this before treating at the scene takes the guesswork out of whether it is appropriate to administer a particular lifesaving measure. Paramedics would access this information with a laptop computer.
Disasters
A natural disaster, like an earthquake or flood, often makes information retrieval impossible. If hospitals and doctor's offices are underwater or can't be accessed, there is no way to gather information on a victim's medical history. This can be a matter of life and death for people who require medication, but don't have it with them. How is the medical staff, providing care, to know the type of medication or the proper dosage? Time is of the essence in these situations. Plugging into a network will provide all the necessary background, including what type of health care coverage the patient has.
Routine Care
Doctors often refer a patient to a specialist. With a health insurance network, there is no wait for medical records to be transferred from one doctor to the next. The transfer is instantaneous. Because the entire medical history can be viewed, the new doctor can see what tests have already been performed and the results. No time and money are wasted on duplicate tests. When tests are ordered, the results are more immediately accessible than without such a network. This system should also greatly reduce or eliminate the amount of paperwork the patient has to fill out. All his information, and what type of health care coverage he has, will be gathered together in one spot.
The United States is a vast nation with no coordinated network to pull medical information together. People move from state to state because of job transfers, to pursue career and educational opportunities or to chase a dream. Medical records are scattered in bits and pieces in many different places. A health care information network would speed the delivery of care, coordinate health care coverage and reduce costs.
