Once widely implemented, a National Health Information Infrastructure would dramatically improve the quality of patient care and reduce the nation's health care costs by:
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Helping consumers and patients to manage their own health by giving them greater control of their health records. |
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Protecting privacy. |
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Making the patient's up-to-date medical record instantly available whenever and wherever it is needed and authorized. |
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Avoiding costly duplicate tests and unnecessary hospitalizations. |
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Providing health professionals with the best and latest treatment options for the patient's needs. |
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Helping eliminate medical errors. |
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Streamlining the reporting of public health information for early detection and response to disease outbreaks and potential bioterrorism. |
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Creating opportunities to gather non-identifiable information about health outcomes for research to identify the most effective treatment options. |
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Providing better, more current medical records at lower costs. |
