Doctors can share medical records without concerns about privacy breach thanks to Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ)’s introduction of its first national service Secure Universal Message Services to facilitate the same. This is irrespective of the computer system that doctors use. The facility is available to medical providers for a monthly fee – the system allows them to share texts, e-mail and data securely. Verizon has been successfully serving the healthcare industry, which has contributed approximately $5 billion of its $11 billion in revenue in 2011.
The existing problem in the wake of the Obama administration’s requirement to computerize the entire U.S. medical system is that most of the healthcare providers utilize closed systems that don’t allow communication. Verizon looks to solve this issue and enable smooth communiqué in the industry.
The components of the new service are:
- An information exchange that will enable hospitals to share data securely
- A web-based portal to facilitate sending texts and messages among providers including physicians, nurses and ambulance drivers among others
How Safe Is the New System?
Verizon says that its new system is secure, and will be a “game-changing” solution enabling secure email exchange to the entire “healthcare eco-system.” It ensures cost savings, efficiency, ease of access and improved care. The innovative solution is also expected to make smooth the sending of even large files such as MRIs and X-rays. The new service should also make the collection of medical records for medical record review purposes easier. Naturally, such a system should be more than welcome to medical care providers. If it helps hospitals to demonstrate “meaningful use” of the computer system, hospitals stand to benefit from the promised payments up to $11.5 million.
