Online Healthcare Records Framework

The Markle Foundation has just helped launch what can best be described as the first REAL effort at designing a framework for organizing healthcare information online. This project is backed by some pretty heavy parties on both the tech side (Google, Microsoft, Intuit, WebMD, etc) and on the provider side (Aetna, BCBS, Department of Veteran Affairs, etc).

The framework is designed to establish a common set of “best practices” that should be followed by applications and services that handle, process, or store personal health-related data online.

According to Markle :

The framework …includes four overviews and 14 specific technology and policy approaches for consumers to access health services, to obtain and control copies of health information about them, to authorize the sharing of their information with others, and sound privacy and security practices.

I think this is a great step in the right direction. With the increase in instances of personal health records being stored electronically, a framework for keeping things as secure as possible is essential.

Microsoft HealthVault and Google Health drew some attention from the security industry when they were announced; consequently, issues of privacy and security were raised. As more and more providers and insurance companies are experimenting with making health records available to both doctors and patients via the Internet, these same issues will become more and more important.

It is good that they are getting together to lay down some “ground rules.”