Medical Records Database

In this day and age, patients shouldn't be the only ones keeping track of all their medical histories. The reliance in the USA by doctors to have patients report their histories to them, or to have patients acquire information from past doctors, can leave the current medical professional with incomplete and sometimes inaccurate information. "Oops, I forgot to mention I'm taking a new prescription drug" can result in dreadful consequences when going into surgery or whatever.

As one person is likely to be treated by more than a handful of doctors & nurses during a lifetime, not to mention at least a couple of differing health insurance companies, who are constantly inquiring about specific information to determine proper coverage, it seems necessary that *somebody* keep track of it all, systematically and with ease of retrieval when relevant (like in E.R.).

In an effort to reduce errors, paperwork, phone calls, and overall inefficiency, especially during emergencies, I suggest that an independent databasing corporation (or perhaps several corporations) take charge and start keeping track of every patient in the US nation, noting dates and details regarding:

• doctor visits (doctor names and contact information, any diagnoses given)
• dates of visits, summary of visits)
• medicines and therapies they've been prescribed (name of doctor prescribing, drugs prescribed [along with dosage details], therapies prescribed [details included],
• medical procedures they've had done (surgeries [both in- and out-patient], tests,)
• charges for all items listed
• food and drug allergies
• current insurance coverage details
• any other pertinent information

I envision this system to be similar to the current system used in USA for keeping track of credit history, only with a better system of error-checking and correcting. Liabilities for any errors would be held with the databanking corporation, and therefore held to the highest standards.

Information should be accessible to the patient him-/herself (and parents, if patient is a minor, or/and other loved ones, especially if the patient is not literate, not English-speaking, or otherwise incapable him-/herself), doctors medical staff, and health insurance professionals. Information should be easily checked and corrected by patients reviewing their own records.

Data should be collected directly from medical personnel *as things are prescribed or done to each patient*. Therefore, doctors and hospitals, etc. would need to be trained and equipped to transmit relevant patient data instantly via Internet or other efficient means to the databank. But this would mean that the information would be as fresh and accurate as possible, typed, and spelled properly.

Each patient's records should be kept uniquely identifiable with the patient's social security number, or other unique proprietary information. A father/mother check may also allow users of the info to make certain the records are for the right person (as in the case of similar SS#s or similar names, etc.). Other means of record keeping or security with regard to the information could be used as well, but it would have to be kept private enough to keep your acquaintances from snooping and yet public enough for you to get proper treatment at any hospital or doctor's office.

Catching up on old data may be possible by having patients or their doctors' offices fill in where they can, but as the date of such a system's release would be well-known by the medical community, they would treat any information older than that date as possibly questionable, compared with the more current information. Also, any information submitted by the patient may be marked for verification by medical staff.

Professionals who know about the world of medicine should originate all records regarding medical records, and those who know best how to store data efficiently should be handling the technical aspects of the database. Patients' medical knowledge and technical skills vary widely, and therefore are not a reliable source for tracking even their own medical records, yet we all rely on expert medical attention when the need arises. An efficient system such as this one would allow medical staff to treat patients with better judgment and far fewer mistakes.