The current issue of CIO magazine looks at iHealthRecord, an online medical information service that aims to help patients monitor their medical conditions, medications, insurance and emergency contacts.
Patients, who can access the service free of charge by logging on with a username and password, determine which physicians and family members can access their record. Physicians pay an average $25 per month for the service, which can include doctor-patient e-mailing capabilities and practice Web sites, CIO reports.
The service was launched in May by Medem - a joint venture of seven medical societies, including the American Medical Association - and more than 100,000 physicians nationwide are offering the service to patients. For example, independent practice association Brown & Toland Medical Group in San Francisco is providing the service to physicians and patients.
"It remains to be seen, however, whether iHealthRecord and services like it can reassure patients who are nervous about maintaining the privacy of their health information on the Internet," according to CIO.
Web sites such as iHealthRecord are not subject to federal privacy rules, said Emily Stewart, a policy analyst with the not-for-profit Health Privacy Project. However, Medem CEO Dr. Edward Fotsch said iHealthRecord follows HIPAA guidelines by not disclosing patient information without permission (Patton, CIO, 8/1).