WASHINGTON – A new electronic health record system developed by Omnimedix Institute and open to employees of five major U.S. employers will be released sometime next year.
The system, called Dossia, would give patients access to and control over their medical records. Patients would no longer have to complete new forms and remember previous conditions and medications every time they switched to another doctor or health professional. The Institute of Medicine, a non-profit and independent organization that advises policymakers on health and science issues, reports that such a process accounts for frequent prescription and treatment mistakes.
Different computer systems at different health facilities would be able to read the same medical records, obviating the need for paper medical records and reducing administrative costs associated with the paper record keeping.
The five companies involved are Applied Materials, Pitney-Bowes, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., BP, and Intel Corp. The five companies’ combined 2.5 million employees will have access to the new system. Other companies and the federal government would eventually be able to sign up for the system, according to Intel Corp. CEO Craig Barrett.
