Beyond the issue of identify theft are issues of adequate record keeping in general, evidence-based practice and informatics as applied to both delivery of health care and administration of the accountable organization and its practitioners.

Technology plays a vital and ever-expanding role in health services. But, my partner and I at IRM Strategies were contracted to do an assessment in one of the top grossing private hospitals overseas (60 billion annual receipts) and it came down to people & execution of strategy, not the capacity of technology. Isn’t it always? IMO, what ARMA should address is the idea of records as the foundation for accountability, transparency, capacity to know what transpired so that processes can be improved, mistakes avoided, etc. Speak to the need for authentic, reliable and valid records and let the technology folk meet that need.

One guy’s thoughts!

All the best-
John
http://twitter.com/johnjamesobrien

I caution, however, that so much about the US consideration of how to achieve agreed objectives in provision of health care is wrapped up in very US-specific stuff, much of it not health care oriented at all. I wonder whether a position that ARMA might adopt would distance it from the reality of the rest of the world. Virtually everywhere, the matter is seen through very different perspective and I urge very careful appreciation of how the underlying philosophy of for-profit health insurance may affect aspects of records management in comparison to an underlying philosophy of health care. There may not be a different at the granular level (but then, are people looking at that level or going for the expedience of big buckets which may indeed aggregate along different lines).

I do not have easy answers or specific guidance to offer but am concerned that ARMA remember and fully consider its position on topics in light of its international membership.

IRM Strategies’ partners do have direct career experience in multiple aspects of the health system (assessment of readiness for transition to e-care at a top grossing Thai hospital (60 billion US); Canadian government policy development and change leadership; hospital management, clinical practice, etc. Give a shout, Doug, if a brief chat is ever helpful.

The overall desire to make medical records available electronically is wonderful, but I firmly believe that no one calling for the move has really investigated the costs and problems associated with this move.

so this is one vote for ARMA getting involved