Given current trends, it appears that PHRs (Personal Health Records) will continue to proliferate as healthcare providers (government sponsored health, commercial providers, retail clinics, health insurance providers, etc.) all offer PHRs as health information portals to their patients/beneficiaries. That’s great, but how will the individuals know which PHR service will be better at protecting their privacy or delivering better information services? There is a clear need for some guidance for PHR selection/participation.
There are numerous analogies to learn from. In the financial world, individual investors have had access to mutual fund rating models from organizations like Morningstar. In the food industry, nutrition labels, in their various forms around the world, have proven to be popular with individuals who are interested in knowing more about the health of the food they purchase.
What if such a label was available to individuals using PHRs and other health information portal services?
In the US, at the National Health Information Network demonstration project conference hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services, outgoing Secretary Mike Leavitt announced his idea for a comparable consumer information label for PHRs. HHS has made the related research available to the industry and for consumers of PHRs: http://www.os.dhhs.gov/healthit/privacy/notice.html
At this site you will find a draft blank model notice template and a draft completed model notice of a fictional health company offering a PHR.
What do you think of Secretary Leavitt’s idea? Will the sample model work for you?
Do you have other ideas for helping individuals deal with the challenge of selecting trusted health information services?
Will this be sufficient as we see social services and health service become more aligned within the government sponsored entitlement programs?