Thomas Claburn, over at InformationWeek, pointed out that Google just endorsed Heath Data Rights, a collection of principles focused on data portability, privacy and consumer protection. As the Google Health tool has been available for some time, it is good to see Google make such an endorsement, but Claburn hits squarely on the problem of Electronic Medical Records:

Having just completed my annual physical on Monday, I took the opportunity to inquire about whether my medical records were available in electronic form. My physician’s assistant smiled and shook her head. The doctor, she said, doesn’t believe in electronic records. And it would be expensive to convert from paper, she added.

Small providers have a hard time seeing the value in switching to EMRs. There is no government mandate (law) that I am aware of that dictates providers must have EMRs available to patients, and there is no perceived cost savings in having this option, meaning the small provider has no impetus to make the switch. While it appears large hospitals are making the move, the independent service provider isn’t jumping on the wagon.

Claburn goes on to say:

Frankly, given frequency of data breaches over the past few years, paper seems like the safest place for medical information at the moment.

And that is, I feel, exactly why the consumer isn’t moving in the direction either.

Data security is a huge issue. The thought of medical records being vulnerable to attack from a hacker or having a medical issue follow you for the rest of your life, permanently attached to your file, are large concerns for a number of people. Fact of the matter, people want to control their information and EMRs do not offer that flexibility.

So, a lack of consumer demand drives the lack of support on the independent service provider. While Google appears to be advocating for anyone with EMRs, it will be a long and lonely road until Electronic Medical Records are adopted nationally with any amount of consistency.