Universal health care portal?

Question

SB’s post got me thinking. What are your thoughts on a universal health care online portal? It would basically be some kind of website/portal/app where all of your records from any/every doctor would be stored. 
✳️ Pros and cons to this?
-So far I’m only thinking of pros (can’t remember your last tetanus shot? The name of that specialist you saw five years ago? How long ago you got that crown placed on your tooth?) Just check out the portal and it’s all right there. This could be helpful when it comes to keeping all of your information in one place. But I’m sure the wonderful people of CC will be able to find flaws to this idea. I’d love to hear the good and the bad. 
✳️ Should the information be available only to you? Or to all doctors?
-I’m thinking accessible by the patient only. That way we still have a privacy aspect (do you really want your gynecologist to know you have a psychiatrist?) But, in certain circumstances, it might be very helpful for specialists to be able to see what was already ruled out or discovered, or tested for by other doctors - in order to make a more accurate diagnosis (that might’ve never been diagnosed otherwise). 
✳️ What are the barriers? Would this ever be able to be a real thing or not?
-I know cost would be a huge barrier. And some doctors might be old school or choose to have limited access to technology. Also, how would this information be uploaded to the portal? Other barriers?

Answer

I would love it.  Even with any negatives I think the benefits greatly outweigh the negatives. 
Here are some potential negatives…
1. Servers get hacked, and now your private medical information isn’t private. This would mostly be an issue for famous people, I guess.
2. They sell a health score (like equifax?) to employers or insurance providers.  
3. Health info from decades ago could be subpoenaed in court, instead of just lost to time. eg. That time you went to the ER for suicidal thoughts at 13 comes up at a child custody hearing with your ex.

Answer

I live in Canada and currently I have that. All information is entered into the universal health care record and my family doctors office is given access to it. My family doctor has their own program where they give us access to all of our records. It’s really quiet quick too. I took my son to a walk in clinic in the morning once and to the ER by evening and it was already on my family doctors portal the next morning.

Answer

I seriously wish that existed. It wouldn't even bother me if doctors had access to it - I have had so many bad experiences at hospitals and doctor's offices because they don't believe the things I'm saying and they think I'm lying about my medical history. If they had access to all of my records then maybe that wouldn't be so much of an issue. 
The biggest barrier I can see is HIPAA, honestly.

Answer

They are actually working towards this to help increase safety with patient care.

Answer

We have this in Canada already 🇨🇦

Answer

ALSO, I feel like it would hinder patient care. If a person is struggling for a diagnosis or doesn’t agree with the diagnosis, a second opinion could be influenced be information found in their records. It takes away the ability to go into an open minded doctor with no knowledge of what’s been seen or done in the past. For me personally it could have prevented my diagnosis of PCOS, and kept them from rechecking my Thyroid to find hypothyroidism, all because the first doctor had checked my levels days before.

Answer

Far too easy to hack, and far too easy for HIPAA to be violated.  I don’t want my information in any kind of system like that. Can’t remember my last tetanus?  Give me another one. Can’t remember my specialist’s name?  Call my primary or insurance company.  Pros don’t outweigh cons IMO.

Answer

I have a FollowMyHealth portal and the dr’s i see all use it, and I’ve consented to share docs between them, so it does exist. Tell your dr about it

Answer

I thought this was already a thing? I went for my yearly Pap smear in December and my gynecologist said that I was due for a T-dap vaccine and asked if I wanted it. I said yes and asked how she even knew that. She said it’s all in the records that any doctor can access online in Michigan. I was due for it because it had been 10 years. I had no idea 🤷‍♀️ I also went to get some blood work last year and the doctor could see a prescription that a completely different doctor had prescribed me like 6 months earlier for pain for a tattoo removal.

Answer

We already have this and I love it. We can book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and have online consultations too.

Universal health care portal?

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