by Deanna Brownlee

Created on: June 07, 2009

Each day, thousands of people visit doctors and hospitals across the nation. Each of those patients is associated with a plethora of information, from an extensive medical history to a long line of medications. The medical community uses this information to carry out your medical care and maintain an ongoing relationship. Access to and use of this information carries with it a great responsibility that could literally be the difference between life and death.

In 2007, actor Dennis Quaid and his wife gave birth to twins. But soon, the twins developed staph infections, and the parents took their newborns to Cedar-Cinai Medical Center for treatment. The infants were to receive 10 units of Heparin, but human error intervened, generating a catastrophe. First, a pharmacist mixed the 10-unit bottles with the larger dose bottles. Then, a nurse grabbed the larger bottles by mistake. The infants received 1,000 times more medication than necessary, and the babies nearly lost their lives.

The disastrous dosing triggered Cedar-Cinai to transform their patient care technology. The hospital employed RFID technology, or Radio Frequency Identification. This barcode system eliminates error dramatically and saves lives. Such an innovative scanning system enables healthcare workers to verify medications, track and monitor mobile equipment, identify and track patients and employees, and maintain inventory.

Another advancement in healthcare technology is the utilization of e-prescriptions. This relatively new concept describes the electronic form of traditional pen-and-paper prescriptions. The advocacy of this new system began on December 8, 2003, when the Medicare Modernization Act included e-prescriptions in its revisions. Then, in July of 2006, the Institute of Medicine published a report on e-prescriptions, further supporting the technology. This method enables the medical community to quickly learn of plan benefits, find out past and present medications, and confirm whether or not a patient has filled his or her medication. Such efficiency promotes medication compliance and optimal accuracy.

According to John D. Halamka, MD, healthcare information technology employs the use of several commonly used terms. An "electronic medical record" is a health record used "within one healthcare organization." By comparison, an "electronic health record" is a health record used "within more than one health organization." Halamka also states that a "personal health record" is a health

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