Obama's big idea: Digital health records, page 1
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Topic started on 11-2-2009 @ 01:19 PM by Total Reality

Obama's big idea: Digital health records


money.cnn.com
President-elect Barack Obama, as part of the effort to revive the economy, has proposed a massive effort to modernize health care by making all health records standardized and electronic.
(visit the link for the full news article)

(The below link is to the other article I cited)

Related News Links:
www.newswithviews.com

[edit on 11-2-2009 by Total Reality]


reply posted on 11-2-2009 @ 01:19 PM by Total Reality
OK, the CNN article is pro-Obama propaganda (not that I'm anti-Obama, the article is clearly biased). Understand what this means for us if our health records are kept in a huge computerized database. It means that the government will have unlimited access to them. And one more thing, Obama thinks it would be OK to pass this law without Senate approval. I don't trust it whatsoever. Maybe the next step is to implant us with chips to make the process a little easier?

Here's part of another article, an opinion piece, about the plan and the use of microchips:

But even proponents of Obama's plan have mentioned that ensuring the privacy of patients' records in a nationalized computer network will be tricky. There are obvious concerns about hackers and system failures. And new online health record systems, such as Google Health are not currently subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the national health privacy law.

“This is especially true when you consider the advocates of implementing a program using so-called ‘v-chips’ inserted into people and containing all their medical information. No one has said how much information will be contained in those implants. DNA? AIDS information?” asks political strategist Mike Baker.

“With so much information already being compromised within government security systems, how can Obama possibly promise confidentiality of such records?” he asks.

Although in five years the VeriChip Corp. — the US company creating microchip implants — has yet to turn a profit, it has been investing heavily — up to $8 million a year — to create new markets.

The company's executives have said their present push is the tagging of "high-risk" patients — diabetics and people with heart conditions or Alzheimer's disease.



Edit: A little more of the above article (mostly about microchipping):

As the polemic heats up, legislators are increasingly being drawn into the fray. Two states, Wisconsin and North Dakota, recently passed laws prohibiting the forced implantation of microchips in humans. Others states — Ohio, Oklahoma, Colorado and Florida — are studying similar legislation.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma legislators are debating a bill that would authorize microchip implants in people imprisoned for violent crimes. Many felt it would be a good way to monitor felons once released from prison.

Another drawback to microchip implants is the suspicion that they are linked to cancer in test animals. Opponents of human microchipping are concerned with the speed with which these chips received approval from the (FDA) US Food and Drug Administration. Opponents such as Dr. Albrecht believe the FDA approval has more to do with politics than medicine.









money.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 11-2-2009 by Total Reality]


reply posted on 11-2-2009 @ 01:32 PM by skeptic1
reply to post by nixie_nox


If it was kept to doctors and the medical community, I would agree.

But, I don't like the idea of the government or some government panel or numerous agencies everywhere having access to my medical records, my prescription history, or my doctor's notes on my treatment.


reply posted on 11-2-2009 @ 02:20 PM by marg6043
reply to post by skeptic1


I agree, see in America people forget that everything is done with profits in mind that is the way greedy capitalism work.

So these digital records will be in the hands of private groups that will make money selling information to other groups, like insurance services that will be selling those records to anybody that will offer a good price.

That is how the good idea becomes a profitable corrupted idea and trust me we the consumer will be the losers as usual.


reply posted on 11-2-2009 @ 02:53 PM by mental modulator
reply to post by Total Reality


well maybe you are forgetting the fact that the government already has access to anything they want...

IS the true root of your concern the centralization of the info?


reply posted on 15-2-2009 @ 04:04 PM by aleon1018
It is a sad commentary on our powers that be and as to how they can or may keep us dumbed down by 'using whatever means necessary' as being the quickest and cheapest.

Medications that don't react violently with our specific DNA and regulate and minimize class action law suits is first:

www.mtbeurope.info...

Socialized medicine rather than the current captialistic style abuses we have within our systems is also contributing to bankrupting our system we pay taxes for such as medicare and medicaid etc.

I foresee the day when our needs are met more accurately at the time of need as well through devices we once thought to 'only exist' in science fiction programs such as Star Trek.

As much as I distrust the government, the necessity to ensure our (species) best health and futures depends on our desires to change old systems.

It is also a sad thought that there may come a day when "the wheat will be seperated from the chaff" during some global event. But even so, with the best and quickest tests available, could still mean saving lives with the proper care.

Even soldiers dying in wars are determined through these ways as a fact of life and death. Complain all you want, but it won't change the real facts.

many civilizations have survived without the present types of medical treatments and they didn't sue anyone. Which doctors or witch doctors. IDK

I just watched a few videos on how MSG has been dumbing us down even before we were born. That crap is everywhere and under different names and ingredients.

[edit on 15-2-2009 by aleon1018]


reply posted on 15-2-2009 @ 04:08 PM by YouAreDreaming
reply to post by Leto


It's the RFID medical chip made mandatory that would concern me.

That is the true gem of this administration... get us chipped.



reply posted on 15-2-2009 @ 04:16 PM by daddyroo45
reply to post by nixie_nox

Yeah it will be really good for us to depend fully on computer/electronic medical records.I can see people scheduled for for one surgery recieving a different one,because of a computer glitch.

Hand written paper work in a hospital is extremly important for patient saftey.I don't want to trust my life to some fool with a blackberry.


reply posted on 15-2-2009 @ 04:34 PM by dolphinfan
reply to post by Holly N.R.A.



There seems to be two distinct sides to this issue and despite the potential benefits of having this information better automated, I think this entire process is very troubling.

HIPPA as it is practically implemented within an enterprise only ensures that documented safeguards exist around the data and information covered under HIPPA. It by no means provides for any assurance. Think about it in this context. Sarbanes/Oxley is a gem of legislation for which the US economy pumped close on $2Trillion into since its inception. Yet we are now confronted with a massive meltdown of firms who had SOX certified financials. Having a HIPPA certified environment should not give anyone any comfort.

Electronic records and centralized/uniform records are completely different things. I'm all for automation, but centralization is quite troubling.

Your doctor's comments should also cause you pause. Some of us have doctors we have had for years and who we have a relationship with. They are familiar with us and are not going to jump to some conclusion and notate that on a medical form. Coming into a doctor who does not know you when you are upset or distracted and he/she marks, "unstable" or "possible bi-polar" or something else on your form could well wind up in the hands of others and that is not a good thing.

This is information that could easily be linked with other things, particularily as we are in the process of nationalising banks and other portions of our society. How'd you like someone looking at your medical records when you apply for a loan or look to get a professional liscense, etc. Now I don't think this is likely and I'm not paranoid, but I would prefer that we not make it possible, rather than assume the information won't be misused.

Finally, there are services like this that you can sign-up for if you want to have readily mobile medical records. Google has something like that now. A service like that is terrific. I would never sign-up for it absent a very serious and chronic medical condition, but making it available is great.

I like my relationship with my doctors to be between me and my doctors. While there is certainly a potential for that relationship to be violated, I don't want to make it any easier to violate.

And if you think the government will do a great job automating this stuff, go check out motor vehicles and that is something they have had in their hands for 60 years.

Finally, if you think this material will be secure, just remember it could have been your medical records that Sandy Berger jammed down his pants to steal from the WH, not top secret documents.
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