"Online Medical Registry Publishes Medical Records" (fwd)

[Peter.Marshall@ix.netcom.com]

>Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 07:37:03 -0500

>ONLINE MEDICAL REGISTRY PUBLISHES MEDICAL RECORDS
>
>Two doctors from New York have launched an online medical
>registry service that they say will improve health care and save
>lives but critics say can actually harm someone instead.
>
>The Medical Registry stores personal medical dossiers on its
>website. Medical professionals can access this information in an
>emergency or during any incident that occurs while the patient is
>travelling away from home.
>
>"A lot of valuable time is wasted asking how old you are, are you
>allergic to any medications, or are you diabetic," said Dr. Murray
>Friedman, chief executive officer of Integrated Medical
>Technologies, which created the service. The time saved could
>save your life in an emergency, he says.
>
>Doctors could refer directly to the website to review the patient's
>complete medical history, including x-ray, EKG, and MRI results.
>
>The Medical Registry charges a $100 annual fee to store a
>patient's medical information. Individuals may update their records
>as new information becomes available.
>
>Users of The Medical Registry receive a medic alert bracelet and a
>wallet card that refers medical professionals to the website or a
>fax-back system. Doctors enter your password (found on the card
>or bracelet) and submit their unique "Drug Enforcement Act"
>number. This prevents non-professionals from accessing your
>information should they steal your card.
>
>However, critics of the online registry claim that any database of
>medical secrets could be cracked. And some charge that
>subscribers may not include potentially-embarrassing medical
>details. The lack of information during a medical emergency can
>be serious. Many patients have allergic reactions to common
>drugs, without this information, an ER doctor could cause more
>harm than good.
>
>The Medical Edge website is http://www.medicaledge.com/
>
>This article is posted at http://dgl.com/dglinfo/1998/dg981203.html
>
>DGLINFO is an electronic publication of
>Damar Group, Ltd.
>
>Copyright (C) 1998 Damar Group, Ltd.