• Electronic medical records; emergency contraception Electronic medical records; emergency contraception The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa., Sunday, Sept. 18 The loss of medical files in states hit by Hurricane Katrina and the difficulty doctors have experienced in not knowing the physical
• Electronic medical records; emergency contraception
Electronic medical records; emergency contraception
The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa., Sunday, Sept. 18
The loss of medical files in states hit by Hurricane Katrina and the difficulty doctors have experienced in not knowing the physical histories of storm victims likely means Americans are going to be hearing a lot about electronic medical records.
While most businesses have long reduced paperwork by centralizing records on computers, health care is the one sector that continues to rely primarily on pen, paper and file cabinets.
Supporters of what those in the health-care field call EMRs are renewing calls for increased computerization in the wake of Katrina. They note centralized records are a great asset in disaster situations by giving physicians access to an unknown patient’s medical history, prescriptions and chronic illnesses — all factors which can affect a doctor’s decision on how to proceed. Further, potential cost savings could be huge if computerization is expanded for writing prescriptions, scheduling hospital visits, joint consultations with other physicians, and diagnosis.
Some studies also show medical errors could be significantly reduced. …
Medical practices that have gone computer in recent years usually have an out-of-town backup system, and computer experts say information can be well-guarded by today’s firewalls, password-protected systems, secure Web sites and encrypted data. …
While it’s understandable EMR supporters are using Katrina to illustrate their point, we caution against any knee-jerk reaction even though we, too, are excited about possibilities of computerized medical record-keeping.
Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, Monday, Sept. 19
You have to wonder what kind of access women would have to birth control today if the Bush administration were starting from scratch and were allowed to regulate such intimate decisions.
Last month the Food and Drug Administration delayed again a decision about whether to make the emergency contraceptive known as Plan B or the “morning after” pill available over the counter. The FDA staff and the overwhelming majority of an advisory panel recommended in 2003 that the drug cocktail should not require a prescription.
But the FDA has dithered, worrying about what would happen if teenagers were to abuse the product. …
Critics don’t have the power to outlaw the drug al-together, so they’re doing what they can — at a politicized FDA — to complicate a woman’s life when that woman is desperately looking for a way to prevent a pregnancy or maybe even an abortion.
