The electronic patient card (EKP) is to be available in medical clinics at the turn of 2014 and 2015. Work on this project is to start this year. According to the Ministry of He alth, this will be another step on the way to digital he alth protection. However, who will manage our electronic cards after the liquidation of the NHF headquarters planned for the end of this year?
Electronic patient record - what is it?
Electronic Patient Record (EKP)is like a fingerprint or a scan of our retina. Thanks to it, the doctor will be able to identify the patient, check if he or she is insured and has the right to he althcare. The type of medical service, its time and place of performance will also be recorded on theelectronic patient card .
As announced by the President of the National He alth Fund, Agnieszka Pachciarz, the firstelectronic patient cardsare to be printed within 15 months of the project launch. Thanks to them, every doctor will have access to information about our medical history. It turns out, however, that the term "medical history" is very broad. This slogan lists all visits to the doctor, treatments performed, the number of prescriptions, and even the price we paid for the prescribed drugs.
E-card is e-threat?
However, the enthusiasm of the originators of the electronic he alth card can not be shared by everyone. It is about properly securing the system, and thus our data. There is a risk that a person who gains access to the data via the online system will not be en titled to do so. Each IT system may "leak", therefore the electronic patient record does not have to turn out to be such a great success.
Electronic patient record - will make life easier or more difficult for patients?
The electronic patient's record , like any electronic system, is not perfect, so in the least expected moments it may freeze, crash or simply fail to save the necessary data. It has been known for a long time that ZUS sends information to the National He alth Fund with a delay about people who pay he alth insurance contributions. This can create a similar situation to what happened afterlaunching the e-WUŚ system, when each of us had to bring proof that we were paying the premiums to the doctor.
What about the electronic patient card after the liquidation of the NHF?
After the liquidation of the National He alth Fund, electronic patient cards will probably go to the He althcare Information Systems Center. This would be a beneficial solution, because thanks to it, electronic patient cards could be valid not only in the system created by the National He alth Fund, but also in the systems of competing insurers.