Many of you know that I am inspired to fix big problems in health, pharma, and finance using technology and new business models.
True Story: The fax machine, invented in 1843, is still the US Health Information Exchange (HIE). Meaningful Use Stage 2 "exchange of patient information" remains elusive.
Case in Point: Recently, I had to find a local PCP in the Partners Healthcare System of Massachusetts General Hospital, both well run institutions with good technology. MGH telephone registration asked my medical record to be "faxed" -- the primary way that they still receive them... My current PCP's admin said my medical record is 125 pages - too big to fax. And I'm a healthy person. They'd like to ship a CD... I told them to call MGH.
Still, this is going better than 3 years ago. Back then, my PCP faxed as requested to Harvard Vanguard, who said the paper was too light to read (used all their toner). So, my PCP's admin had to print and manually FedEx the medical record at $25 cost to me. Nobody transcribed it in the 2 months before my new PCP visit, and the PCP never even got the packet.
Who is tackling this problem? Had a better experience? Please share!
