Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) on Friday will begin to layout a framework for electronic health record keeping at the inaugural State Alliance for e-Health meeting in Washington, D.C., the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Bredesen is a co-chair of the alliance.
The meeting should expedite the adoption process of a national electronic health record-keeping system, Bredesen said on Thursday. Critics of such a system cite patient privacy concerns, but Bredesen said that the issue should be resolved through state and federal legislation.
He also noted that the benefits of an EHR system have been hindered by a lack of cooperation as rival commercial systems compete for market share.
Physicians, entrepreneurs, insurance commissioners, legislators and other health professionals will discuss the challenges and benefits of EHRs at the meeting, according to the Times Free Press (Lee Pitts, Chattanooga Times Free Press, 1/26).