I was looking through the HIMSS session titles and saw one about the Usability of PHR, which prompted me sending out the following tweet:
http://twitter.com/#!/techguy/status/26019097925910528
Then, a smart HIT journalist named Neil Versel sent his comment on my tweet:
http://twitter.com/#!/nversel/status/26034696907395073
Something to think about this weekend.
Immediate practical use, as we see it in the trenches, at least one of them is the ‘Patient In-take forms; for instance take a Pediatrician’s Practice and the growth chart questionnaire with 100 questions. Do the parents really have to be in the ‘Practice’ to answer these 100 questions; can it be answered in the comfort of their home, allowing both the parents to answer together without having to take time off to visit the clinic. Physician has the time to review this prior to visit.
Uses of the PHR are many and will evolve over time, similar to on-line banking which evolved over time.
Do we see improving efficiencies through this medium; yes. One step at a time we can use PHR as an efficient medium that can increase convenience to patients as well as the providers.