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Standard Database Design for all Health Information related Applications
  1. Signatures
    63 out of 100
    Petitioning
    1. The President of the United States (+ 2 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The President of the United States
      • The U.S. Senate
      • The U.S. House of Representatives
  2. Created By
    Brad Myers
About this Petition Petition Letter
Why This Is Important

There needs to ba a standard database structure for all health information related applications, not just a standard set of elements or attributes.  More specifically, each vendor of applications which handle health information would be required to conform the core helath information to a standard database design and each data element would have a standard definition.  This would be the core backbone of information that could then be easily consolidated from all sources to form an integrated health record.  Currently these vendors and business are only required to have standard data elements that are usually created within non-standard database designs or even as an off-shoot to the main database.  A fund could be set up to provide these vendors with the funding necessary to perform this conversion to existing and planned releases of software.  This would include but not be limited to:  Billing Systems, Personal health records, Electronic health records and  claim processing systems.

Recent Signatures

Catalyzing the creation of Electronic Health Records

Dear Representative

There is a vast amount of information that exists today and is being created as we speak that can't be used as a source for a person's health information. The reason for this is that each software vendor that handles health information has their own proprietary database design which is not compatible with other similar vendors. And the vendors creating Personal Health Record/Electronic Health Record services are doing the same thing......creating a variety of database designs. It basic common sense that with no common backbone as a basis for integrating these differing sets of health information the cost to attempt creating a health record is going to be astronomical and it will never end because it's simply not effectively possible.

We need to require the companies that are selling these products to transition to a more common database design that has a common core backbone of health information, with a common design and commonly defined data elements. The remainder of the database for each vendor can reflect their individual needs and preferences. This common backbone of information would create a common framework for the integration of health information from across any source, greatly facilitating the creation of the much needed health information records. The cost to create these records and to maintain then over time would be greatly reduced. and the information in them will be much more complete than we will otherwise have.

Now is the time. There is more effort and investment being directed at building more and more of these applications than ever before. If we don't mandate a standard that is enabling to the creation of a health record, and do it now, the investment in these many different data frameworks will be too large in the future to consider. A relatively small investment by the federal government to catalyze this transition now can make the difference between success and failure in the future.

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