City Could Become Model For E-Health Records

By Staff Reporter of the Sun
April 16, 2008

WASHINGTON — New York City may become the model for the latest effort to implement electronic health records nationwide, officials said yesterday.

The Bloomberg administration is collaborating with a coalition of House Democrats to help achieve the goal of linking 75% of the nation's health care providers through an e-record system within a decade.

More than 200 primary care doctors in the five boroughs are using electronic medical records, and the city says it is on track to reach its goal of 1,000 providers serving more than a million patients by the end of the year.

Advocates say the technology could save lives by reducing medical errors and cut costs by eliminating unneeded and duplicate tests.

Replacing paper medical records with a computer-based network has been championed by Democrats and Republicans alike, but the push has been slowed by concerns over patient privacy.

Joined by a half-dozen lawmakers, including Rep. Joseph Crowley of New York, Mayor Bloomberg voiced confidence that the public was coming around to the idea, noting that people have accepted other privacy intrusions brought on by advancements in technology, including increasingly prevalent surveillance cameras and using credit cards to make online purchases. "I think this time it will be easier to implement," the mayor said.