High-Tech Health Care

Wired News:

President Bush on Thursday proposed increasing federal funds to promote computerized medical records, which he said would save patients' lives and money as he touted plans to overhaul the health care industry. On the first trip of his second term, Bush said a standardized information technology system for doctors' offices and hospitals would help save lives endangered by poor or incomplete record-keeping, prescription errors and other problems.

This is a very good idea, and something that should be done although many hurdles exist. The biggest concern people will have, and not unjustifiably, is privacy issues. A few years ago I worked with an entrepreneur who was trying to develop a system like this. I helped him build a proto-type of what such a system might look like, so I have some idea of the challenges and concerns that such a system has to address. Full Disclosure: Although I never received any money for my work on this system I was promised a share in the company if it ever went anywhere. I don't believe that the guy is still pursuing this, although if he is I could conceivably benefit if such a system is built and the design I worked on becomes part of it. I am not holding my breath however.