Medical records are getting flashy. Now Kaiser Permanente in Northern California is offering patients their medical records on a Flash drive.
They say patients can get their information in a "flash." Northern California members can take their health information with them on business trips or vacations.
The devices contain accurate,
up-to-date summary information about a member's health and medical
condition -- in a format that virtually any physician with
access to a computer can open and read.
To safeguard privacy, the data on the drive is encrypted and
protected with a password that only the patient knows. This allows for
complete privacy in case the drive is lost or stolen.
Depending on the format of the records, they most likely could be sideloaded to a smartphone or other handheld device.
"Combining the Portable Electronic Medical Record flash drive with
our comprehensive electronic medical record allows the physicians of
Kaiser Permanente to provide 21st century health care to our members,"
says Dr. Robert Pearl,
executive director and CEO of The Permanente Medical Group. "Having a
patient's medical history, EKG and complete list of medications helps
doctors provide superior medical care. This flash drive can be carried
anywhere around the world, and it allows a person to receive more rapid
medical treatment whether they are on vacation or traveling on
business."
The device was tested at Kaiser Permanente's Oakland Medical Center
last year, and nearly 600 flash drives were provided to members. Since
then, Kaiser Permanente facilities throughout Northern California have
started offering the device to all members.
Members can request the flash drive from the Medical Secretaries
department, and it takes only a few minutes to program and obtain the
drive. The fee for the drive is only $5, and medical record updates are
free. The drive contains the following information:
- Patient demographics, including age, gender and ethnicity
- Language preferences
- Contact information for family and friends
- Primary care physician(s) info
- Active medical problem lists
- Allergies
- Immunization records
- Lab results from the past year
- Medications prescribed or refilled in the past year
- Clinic visit information with diagnoses and procedures in the past year
- Hospitalizations with diagnoses and procedures
- Most recent EKGs and chest X-rays -- both readings and images.
The portable electronic medical record does not give as much
detailed medical information and history as a full medical record, but
it provides a treating physician with important high-level information.
"This is another way that Kaiser Permanente is working to improve and
maintain the health of our members," said Dr. Thomas C. Barber,
associate physician in chief, East Bay, Kaiser Permanente. "If a member
isn't in a position to receive care at a Kaiser Permanente facility,
our Portable Electronic Medical Record helps treating physicians
provide a more rapid and more accurate diagnosis in an emergency or
urgent situation."