Firstly, I received a notification from the Federal Government mandating the completion of a census survey within 10 days; what caught my eye was the fact that the preferred method of completion was via a secure web site -- failing this, you'll have to make a telephone call to receive the paper questionnaire by mail (not recommended, considering the current postal disruptions).
It has become obvious to me that the Government has gone to great lengths to ensure we feel comfortable about sending our personal information over the Internet (see: http://census2011.gc.ca/ccr_r007-eng.htm) and is even threatening us with fines or jail time if we do not comply!
The point being made here is that if the authorities are satisfied with their process of data collection using the Internet, what makes using the latter for EMRs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_medical_record) any different?
This also begs the question as to why we're still unable to vote over the Internet, but that's another issue I'll tackle in another blog posting, in another life!
Secondly, I came across an article in my local paper (http://durhamregion.com/article/177663) regarding a $40 million lawsuit that Durham Region (Ontario, Canada) is facing, following the loss of a computer storage key during the flu vaccination season in 2009.
As a plaintiff, one could possibly feel some kind of satisfaction on hearing that the lawsuit is being allowed to proceed, but in reality, any restitution the courts find reasonable would be a Pyrrhic victory, since the costs will simply be passed on to its residents (i.e. the plaintiffs) by means of increased taxes or budget/project cuts.
One could perhaps argue that an EMR system could have done no worse, in that the requirement for Health Department personnel to carry externally stored data would be obviated.
Additionally, unauthorized access to systems hosting this data can more easily be detected via the "industry-standard" auditing capabilities of the various applications -- try doing that with paper records!
I now look forward to a similar Government-mandated electronic records implementation policy aimed at all health care providers.
Now, with regards to that aforementioned census survey, I'd better hurry and complete mine -- after all, this is not a good time for any "unplanned" vacation!
Ernest A. James
President & CEO
Regal Informatics Inc.
