Privacy concerns about Quebec’s medical e-record scheme

The computerization of Montreal’s three million medical records will start this spring, while the transition to e-records is slated to be over by 2015, some are warning about privacy and language concerns.

(picture CTV)

CTV – Despite the concerns, having timely access to facts and figures is the key to efficient healthcare says Benjamin Burko, a physician who is embracing the new e-record scheme.

“Comprehensive information is the best way I have to take care of my patients, so philosophically I think it’s an excellent idea,” said Burko, a paediatrician in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. Continue reading

US Hospitals mine patient records in search of customers

USA Today reported that US hospitals are data mining their patient records to promote lucrative health services.

Health information such as smoking history or past medical problems is being combined with consumer credit information to determine who might have need for services and the ability to pay.  Continue reading

A sickening side-effect of the eHealth revolution

Globe and Mail – The digital revolution is poised to transform Canadian health care, promising more timely access to doctors and streamlined service that is expected to improve the patient experience while reducing waste and unnecessary testing.

But the technological changes – from an app that connects surgical patients to their doctors, wherever they are, to the dream of a single electronic health record a patient has for life – also come with a downside: the possible breach of privacy.

Ontario’s Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian says she is a huge supporter of electronic health records but stressed they must be done in a secure manner, adding that nothing deserves greater protection than a patient’s medical information. For the rest of the story see Globe and Mail