Giant firms to build employee health records

A group of large U.S. and European companies have announced plans to create digital employee health records linking hospital, physician and pharmacy data. By linking this data, these companies hope to help consumers better coordinate and drive their own care. The companies, which include Intel, Wal-Mart and British Petroleum, are beginning the effort by developing a joint records standard. Later, each plan to kick in $1.5 million to construct a joint "data warehouse" for storing the health information. Among other benefits, companies expect the data to help consumers compare price and performance data from millions of fellow employees and assist doctors in tracking the impact of treatments for chronically ill patients. (It seems obvious that ultimately, they'd use the data to push employees into CDHPs.)

Intel chairman Craig Barrett suggests that the effort could help to reform the U.S. health system. "I frankly don't think the industry is capable of modifying itself," Barrett says. However, privacy advocates are already complaining about the plan, suggesting that employers and insurers might use the data to reject potential employers for jobs or health coverage.

Learn more about the firms' plans:
- read this Wall Street Journal article (sub. req.)

PLUS: Why personal health records are good for disease management. Column

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