Portable yet Secure Electronic Medical Records for indivi...
Portable yet Secure Electronic Medical Records for individuals and families
Idea Description
This would be computer software that would allow individuals and families to maintain and organize their own comprehensive collection of portable yet secure electronic medical records. In addition, you would be able to take your medical records with you on a secure USB keychain drive to various medical facilities, and with your authorization be able to share your medical information with them, to the level of detail that you choose. You could maintain records for your children, or an elderly or disabled loved one. Think of the reduction in medical mistakes made from incorrect or missing information.
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
Contract a computer information security expert to help me make sure the medical information would be encrypted and stored as securely as possible. I also would contract out a medical records expert to help me design the optimal system of storing and retrieving electronic medical records.
I am a Computer Science graduate and have been designing and authoring software for over 20 years. I can write all the software myself, but I definitely need the consultation of a computer information security expert.
Vote for it now.
There a lot of companies vying for this space, and quite a few that have come and gone, but there are only bits and pieces of this out there. Keep in mind that even if medical information is kept locally on a USB keyfob (or etc.), the aggregated information should also be available online, in case the keyfob is lost or stolen. Maybe a standarized (there's the trick there) online portal that holds all of your family's medical history, dental, optometry, and insurance for each would be easier. Access to the site could be by authentication from a biometric or rolling-PIN keychain token. All medical record views are logged, so you can see if a doctor or hospital (or other) that you've used before is having another look at your records. There are a lot more possibilities here -- integr…moreating insurance billing, prescription histories, doctor's orders, and maybe even up-to-date treatment records while in the hospital. Run with it... I like it.
I realize that Google and Microsoft (among others) are rolling out their various versions of this idea. However, privacy of a person's information is of real concern, given the nature of their various other interests. That is why I think a neutral third party would be more appealing to consumers. Do you really want your information combed through by Google and/or Microsoft? Not me!
Among the companies that are vying for this space there are some that actually have something up and running. LifeOnKey: http://www.lifeonkey.co.il/EN - is quickly gaining momentum in Israel (their prototype testing space) while signing on major medical facilities all over the world. The main obstacle, as I see it, is not the security, nor the application, but creating protocols for medical data, so that the data can be aggregated in a viable form. While the service allows you to scan in your medical records, and will collect records from medical institutes for you, the data is in a plethora of formats, making it hard to be retrieved and used. DISCLAIMER: I have nothing to do with LifeOnKey. I was recently introduced to the service, and found it too expensive. Since I run a non-profit …moreorganization that helps Israeli's contact doctors in the US, I am always searching for ways to relay the medical information. Currently, we almost always end up sending a package with photocopies and CDs of imaging studies. There has to be a better way.