Mr. Sesno:
If Dr. Bentz were to tell his patients, "Okay, I’m
going electronic. I’m going to take all your
records ... all that stuff I have ... that’s been
occupying all this wall-space and file cabinet
space, and making electronic now." What should
consumers be engaging by way of conversation and
question here?
Ms. Rein:
I think that it’s most important for the consumer to
understand to what extent they can and cannot
control who their information goes to, what pieces
of it...
Mr. Sesno:
So I want to know where you’re sending that?
Ms. Rein:
Yeah. I want to know where you’re sending it. I want
to know what part of my record you’re sending. And
right now, we don’t have--the technology exists to
do that, but we don’t have a broad framework or
policy infrastructure to say. And so I think a lot
of the reluctance--certainly, cost is a factor.
Certainly, some interoperability technology issues
are a factor. But there are a lot of people in all
of the different stakeholder groups in health care
who would really like a better road map for where
all of this is leading, because in a state of not
knowing, they’re sort of paralyzed.
Mr. Sesno:
So what would--give me a few questions that you’d
literally put to your doctor. Where are my records
going?
Ms. Rein:
Where are my records going?
Mr. Sesno:
That’s the one that you mentioned.
Ms. Rein:
Are you going to ask me for my consent before you
release it for any of the things that you’re going
to--wherever it’s going to flow?
Mr. Sesno:
Right.
Ms. Rein:
And then if somebody wants to use it for something
else, are you gonna come back to me and get my
authorization for that something else?