Why is health information exchange important to Alaska?

Improved health status of Alaskans means fewer lost work days, lower health infrastructure costs, and a better quality of life.
Many Alaskans miss the opportunity to receive age appropriate, timely health screening and vital immunizations because we don’t have a complete medical history. Health information exchange could create an easy, automatic update of necessary screening exams and immunization history.Unnecessary or duplicate lab tests delay treatment and increase costs. Health information exchange could eliminate duplication and provide timely, appropriate test results to practitioners. Expensive invasive procedures may only need to be done once. Health information exchange could pass information without requiring additional work.

Clear, appropriate information leads to greater accuracy which means safer and timelier patient care with fewer medical errors and quicker response to epidemics and bioterrorism.
Missing information or illegible handwriting cause errors in medication and treatment. Malpractice lawsuits often come from well intentioned health care poorly supported with information. The electronic health record can be clearly formatted with appropriate detail resulting in fewer medical decisions errors.

Informed patients reduce the load on the health care system.
Electronic health records can be shared with patients more easily than paper records.

This statement comes from the federal Department of Health and Human Services website. “Clinicians are not the only individuals who need greater access to patient information. Well-informed patients are better equipped to actively participate in their own care and decision-making. The Internet has proved invaluable in broadening access to information for consumers and patients, but general information from Websites goes only so far to educate people on wellness and illness. Innovations in technology are emerging to give patients electronic access to their health record and the ability to gather specific information tailored to their illnesses, chronic conditions and health characteristics. Widespread adoption of these innovations, via a concept known as a Personal Health Record (PHR), will revolutionize consumer health care decision-making.” ~ http://www.hhs.gov/healthit/goals.html

Increased efficiency by immediate access to all necessary patient information decreases workload from redundant activity of medical staff and providers leading to lower costs and more timely results.
Current health records exist in many incompatible forms. Sharing of information is difficult and time consuming. Public health agencies must use multiple communication channels of faxing, copying, and phone calls to get relevant information. Simply making information easier to share with electronic health records could save millions of dollars for providers and patients. In addition, present medical research for the public good is significantly slowed by cumbersome record exchange. Electronic health records and health information exchange could lower the cost of research and bring life-saving findings to the public in a timely manner.