In the ongoing battle against escalating medical costs, insurers and employers know only too well what unneeded and unwanted medical measures cost. During emergencies, essential information often is not available, resulting in misdiagnoses and delayed, unwanted, unnecessary, or improper treatment. This can cost insurance companies, employers, and consumers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

The National Center for Health Statistics reported that there were almost 116 million emergency room visits in 2003. US health care costs constitute over 15 percent of our nation’s GDP and were expected to reach $1.8 trillion in 2004. (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group, and US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and Bureau of the Census.) A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation survey found that 95 percent of physicians said they have witnessed serious medical errors, while a 1999 Institute of Medicine study concluded that hospital mistakes might contribute to the deaths of 44,000 to 98,000 Americans annually.

However, the new Commonwealth Fund study suggested that the Institute of Medicine report may be the tip of the iceberg in determining the full extent of injuries from medical errors. The IOM report also estimated that medical errors cost the nation approximately $37.6 billion each year; about $17 billion of those costs are associated with preventable errors.

About half of the expenditures for preventable medical errors are for direct health care costs. A lack of timely and pertinent information can only make this worse. The Wall Street Journal concluded that, “[e]lectronic medical records that could instantly supply a person’s blood type, allergies and past treatments could help save lives in an emergency.” (September 24, 2001.)

In today’s uncertain, mobile, and extended family environment, making information readily available is essential. online-registries (OLR) is a digital medical records company providing safe, secure, private, affordable, and collaborative personal health care record services allowing members to store vital personal medical information. Combining the ability to access records with designated emergency health care providers and an e-mail based automatic notification system that alerts the care-community in case of emergency or illness, OLR provides its members true
“peace of mind – online”®. OLR stores essential medical information using 128-bit SSL encryption that limits access only to those who need to know – emergency physicians and those specifically designated by members, such as family, friends, and caregivers.

online-registries’ family of web sites provide:

• Immediate access to updated information, enabling more effective treatment in emergencies.

• Operating efficiencies and cost saving by eliminating unnecessary or unwanted treatments and possible misdiagnoses.

• Reduction of potential liability.

• Increased user satisfaction by providing a sense of empowerment and control.

  OLR offers four web sites:

   

medproxy.com offers members the security of knowing wishes will be respected even if they are incapacitated and unable to participate in treatment decisions. Members with a medical proxy or health care power of attorney, also known as advance directives, can register the information with medproxy.com to make the name(s) and location(s) of their designated agent(s) available to those with a need to know when most needed – in an emergency.
senior-records.com gives its members a safe, simple, secure, and affordable way to organize their medical histories. Tailored to the needs of seniors, the site provides them a valuable tool by making information available to designated caregivers and emergency medical personnel right away, whenever and wherever it is needed. All sites provide access on a read-only basis that is restricted to accredited health care facilities and other caregivers specifically authorized by the subscriber.
kidrecords.com helps members protect their children against medical error. It enables parents to document their children’s medical histories – including information about allergies, illnesses, medications, and special needs. kidrecords.com is especially valuable for non-custodial parents, for children in the care of others or for children who are away from home, for example at school or at camp. In an emergency, physicians and other caregivers can get the information they need to make the appropriate treatment decisions when every second counts.
med-records.com provides a comprehensive system of medical record management. The site makes an individual’s personal medical information – including family histories, blood type, contact information, and insurance information – available to those who need to know.

Information on all four existing web sites is available to hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the nation’s leading organization for accreditation of hospitals and health care organizations of all kinds.

The question that insurers and employers need ask is not why they should make available to insureds/employees these services offered by OLR, but can they afford not to offer them?