Patient-Controlled Exam Exchange Could Save Millions

Cynthia E. Keen | AuntMinnie.com | October 21, 2011

Siddiqui made a strong case for radiologists to seize the opportunity provided by the federal government's initiative to spur healthcare providers to convert from paper-based to electronic medical records. "As national efforts move patient-physician communications electronic, we need to embrace the paradigm change so we can determine what is appropriate for radiology, instead of being forced to comply for standards and mechanisms designed for text-only-based electronic communication," Siddiqui said.

Siddiqui has long been an advocate for electronic data exchange of patient medical records, and he now works as a principal program manager in platform engineering for Microsoft. Siddiqui believes that just as the world came to accept Copernicus' revolutionary concept that the Earth revolves around the sun instead of vice versa, it is time for healthcare organizations to realize that healthcare information should revolve around the patient instead of themselves.

With a patient-centric model to control patient information -- something that is just now technologically feasible -- the boundaries imposed by healthcare institutions relating to the transfer of patient records can be eliminated...