Oregon will use a two-year, $5.5 million federal grant to create an online health record database for the state's more than 400,000 Medicaid beneficiaries, the Portland Tribune reports.
The database, which should launch in fall 2009, is designed to reduce unnecessary health care costs. The Oregon Medicaid office -- as well as Medicaid physicians, hospitals and pharmacies -- will have access to the health record database.
The database aims to help:
- Eliminate or reduce duplicative or unnecessary tests;
- Avoid redundant or dangerous prescriptions; and
- Reduce medical errors resulting from incomplete data.
Oregon is one of a number of states to receive federal funding to develop a health record database (
Portland Tribune, 11/6).