Progress still slow on electronic health record adoption

Adopting standards for electronic health records (EHRs) is being slowed by the issues of deciding who controls the patient health data and how that control should be exercised, panelists at an industry forum said. "This is one of the thorniest issues in pursuing EHRs," Joel Slackman, managing director for policy for Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, said at "Health IT: Improving the Health System with Information Technology," an event held by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "It has been debated for years and years. ...There are strong partisans on both sides." The debate centers on how much control patients should have to segregate and mask their records to protect their privacy. For example, some patients do not want their dermatologists to see their records for substance abuse treatment. Also, some doctors don't like the idea that they may be denied access to critical information about patients' health when treating them.