Tim Churches wrote:
Ignacio Valdes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:david derauf wrote:Kaiser Permanente to put patient records online /February 4, 2003/ Health maintenance organization Kaiser Permanente <http://www.kaiserpermanente.org/> today announced plans to put themedical records of its 8.4 million patients online in what may be“themost ambitious move yet toward electronic medical records,” the/WallStreet Journal/ reports. The $1.8 billion project will give Kaiser Permanente members and physicians access to the online records and should be completed in three years. Members will be able to access portions of their medical recordsonline,including test results, immunization history and currentmedications.Madison, Wis.-based Epic Systems <http://www.epicsys.com/> willprovidethe electronic records software and handle relevant information management duties; terms of the contract were undisclosed. Kaiser has spent the last 10 years internally developing anelectronicrecords system, but following implementation problems, finallyopted fora commercial system. The insurer expects to save $1 billion byusing theEpic system in place of developing its own system, according toGeorgeHalvorson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente (Rundle, 2/4).'save $1 billion' by spending $1.8 billion? If I were a Kaiser patient I'd be hanging onto my wallet.What is the nature and fate of the system which Kaiser tried but failed to develop themselves? Is anything able to be rescued? Should KP release it under an open source license and let others pick over the bones? Tim C
