WASHINGTON - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius plans to announce today rules making it easier for patients to see, use and add information to their personal electronic health records.
"We want patients to take control of their own health and to make the choices easy," U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin told USA TODAY.
The first regulations are set to go into effect in October 2012 as part of the new federal health law.
The stimulus bill passed in February 2009 provides $19 billion for electronic health records, mostly as an incentive for Medicare providers.
The announcement, which comes at the start of the HHS Consumer Health IT Summit, will highlight what technology is available, as well as include a new regulation to allow people the right to get their own lab results.
"About 20% of abnormal lab results never make it to the patient," said Farzad Mostashari, national coordinator for health information technology at HHS. "But it's not just a patient's legal rights; we're embracing this."
Patients who can use their electronic health records may be able to quickly see test results, doctor's recommendations and details of prior surgeries, treatments and billing records.
The new regulations mean a doctor will be able to send prescriptions directly to a pharmacist instead of using a paper prescription. Specialists will be able to see what tests and prescriptions other doctors have ordered.
This will mean fewer duplicate tests, and doctors will be less likely to prescribe medications that react poorly with a patient's other prescriptions, Mostashari said.
Patients will work with doctors to prevent health crises, he said.
Personal health records will allow patients to enter their own data, such as their weight, what they've eaten and what symptoms they have for chronic illnesses, such as diabetes or heart disease.
For example, if a person with heart disease suddenly gains weight, it could mean he's retaining fluids and needs to see a doctor.
In the case of Nikolai Kirienko, 31, a Crohn's disease patient, keeping a virtual diary of how he feels along with what his doctor finds through lab work could keep him out of the hospital.
Because of the Crohn's, he recently went to an emergency room because he was severely anemic.
Kirienko said that if he had been able to keep track of his symptoms and look at medical encounters he had in the past, he might have figured out he was low on iron before it became an emergency.
"It also allows you to talk with your provider about what goes on between appointments," said Kirienko, a student at the University of California-Berkeley.
Kirienko said 5% of Medicare patients have multiple chronic conditions that account for 85% of Medicare costs.
"I have multiple chronic conditions," he said. "This will help me manage those conditions more effectively."
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