Smart Health Mission
Smart Health's mission is to create new models of healthcare delivery through the well-coordinated use of information systems. In doing this we expect to empower providers and consumers to dramatically improve the outcomes of care.
Our Vision
Imagine a world in which you and your doctor have all the information you need to make the best decisions about your care:
- When you go to see your doctor, he or she will have all the information to treat you right on the spot -- no rummaging through paper records and archives, but an electronic record that can be stored in multiple storage media.
- When you have an appointment or need a test, you won't have to fill out any forms. The information stored in your electronic health record will do this for you.
- Lab tests and diagnostic imaging will not have to be repeated unless required for new information.
- Your doctor will know if you've been to see another doctor or to a hospital, what medicines you are taking, and whether you have any allergies.
- In a critical, emergency room situation, all the information needed to take care of you will be available in seconds.
- Your health information will only be available to authorized caregivers.
Many health issues can be dealt with before you need to see a doctor. In the world Smart Health envisions, you'll have all the capabilities you need to select your own physician and deal with your care as efficiently as you deal with your bank account today:
- You willhave your own personal health record accessible over the Internet or as a printed record.
- You will have all the latest information needed about your medical history, current conditions, medications, allergies, and your doctor's names.
- If you have a chronic condition that needs to be monitored, you will be able to use home diagnostic equipment to measure your condition and record it in your personal health record, so it can be viewed by you and your doctor. If the tests reveal that you need to see a doctor, both you and your doctor will be notified automatically.
- If you need to take medication, your doctor can write a prescription electronically and send it to any pharmacy you choose. Your personal health record will let you and the pharmacist know if cheaper generic drugs are available, and whether the drug prescribed interacts negatively with any other drugs you are taking.
- When you want to ask your doctor a question, you can send a secure e-mail that no one other than your doctor can see.
- You will have access to a range of e-commerce services to make health care more responsive to your needs. You can make appointments and refill prescriptions online. If your doctor is running late, you will receive an automatic notification. You'll be able to get approval for treatment and payment from your insurance company when you arrive for your appointment. You'll be able to look online and see how your doctor rates against others with regard to price and quality, and how other patients rate your doctor.
The technology to make all this happen exists today. To put this vision into practice, we need to invest in regional infrastructure and develop agreements with healthcare providers, employers and insurance companies to share the data.