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Mechanica
Exploring Ethics
 the science and ethics forum
An ongoing series of free, public events jointly sponsored by the Ethics Center and the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. Go to the full schedule of events at the Fleet.
Electronic Health Records: the Good, the Bad, and the Future
See a flyer for this event.

to a pre-forum interview with Tom Fudge and his guests, John Macaulay and Pam Dixon, "Are Electronic Medical Records Better for Your Health?", KPBS These Days, November 3, 2008.
Date: November 5, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Location: Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
Organizers: Mike Kalichman, Lawrence Hinman, & Dena Plemmons, The Ethics Center
Jeffrey Kirsch, Lynne Kennedy, & Amanda Lincoln, Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
Program:

The health care system is rapidly moving from paper formats to electronic formats. It is modernizing much in the same way that financial systems in banks did decades ago. However, in the health care system, the new electronic systems introduce new risks and rewards for patients, health care providers, and others. Some of the hot-button issues include privacy, confidentiality, security, cost, and error reduction, to mention a few.
This talk introduced a universe of activity and changes currently hidden to most individuals, and probe the various aspects of the new systems and what they mean to us as individuals and patients.

Key aspects of the discussion:
  • What changes do electronic health records bring?
  • What is the National Health Information Network, and why should anyone care about it?
  • What does it mean to us as individual patients?
  • What happens to large databases of electronic health care records inside and outside the health care system?
  • Are there new privacy and security risks in an electronic health care system?
  • What do E-prescriptions mean to people who take prescription drugs?
  • What has Congress been doing and talking about in this area, and how will the new administration build on current efforts?
The panelists:
Pam Dixon, Executive Director, World Privacy Forum
John Macaulay, VP of Healthcare & LifeSciences, Anakam
Moderator: Lawrence Hinman, Executive Committee, Ethics Center
Contact: Ethics Center
Resources World Privacy Forum:
Medical ID theft page (which contains the 2006 report, the newest 2008 report, and many documents of note regarding this topic): http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/medicalidentitytheft.html

National Health Information Network page: http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/medicalprivacy_NHIN.html

National Health Information Network Chronology: http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/NHIN_timeline.html

Personal Health Records page (The legal analysis on electronic and other health records and legal protections is available on this page): http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/personal_health_records.html