IBM is expected to announce that it will provide each of its employees with an electronic medical record, becoming the first major US employer to create a permanent digital health record for its workers. The project will progress in three phases. In phase one, employees will input background information about their health and medical history into the web-based system. In phase two, the company will add information about claims and prescriptions. In the third phase, the company will add test results and MRI images.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the company plans to pledge to respect its employees privacy. Analysts see the move as a way for the company to control its own healthcare costs, while at the same time generating business for its healthcare information systems division by promoting the technology. No word on whether IBM's employees trust their employer with their medical information, but most consumers are very wary of their employer knowing too much.
- see this article from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)