IBM grants online access to medical records
INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
Online access to medical records is to be granted to the US employees of International Business Machines Corp (IBM), a global computer company, and their dependants.
Around 133,000 IBM employees in the US will be able to sign up for access to the online information system, allowing them confidential access to their medical records. IBM is one of the first large organisations in the US to make employees’ health records available online and has confirmed that the records will be protected by its own, and federal, privacy and security policies.
Information about test results, allergies, medications and medical histories will be viewable online by employees and health care workers. IBM said the long-term aim is for patient data to be securely available as needed, to health care providers such as emergency personnel and hospitals, via electronic health records.
IBM’s decision to introduce the system for its employees is considered part of its attempt to introduce greater automation to the medical and health care industries, although the digitisation of medical records has created privacy concerns.
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