The Electronic Health Record – Too Indigestible for Pharma?

Once upon a time, somewhat unadvisedly, I invested a year of my life writing a business plan around the concept of the electronic health record (EHR).

The venture capital representatives who reviewed the plan found the concept too complex for their taste. They were unfortunately into more simple fare.

The proposition, entitled HealthWell, did however provide a gateway platform for Pharma digital communication along with what might be considered to be one or two other essential ingredients.

In reviewing the state of play of EHR around the world it is clear that progress has proved difficult, costly and some of those essential ingredients still seem to be missing.

For example, the British £12.7 billion EHR initiative to digitize Britain's government-run health system is potentially four years behind schedule.

The Obama Administration is using the rationale of health system efficiency to justify EHR’s inclusion as part of their economic stimulus package.

But the nature of the considerable cost savings and clinical efficiencies would appear to be debateable.

Then there are the technical, privacy, data accuracy, security, access, and  physician acceptance issues to address.

Is Pharmico an ingredient in these EHR recipes for potential disaster?

Or is Pharmico aversion to the digital world, for once, a saving grace?

Whilst a Pharmico aversion to EHR may be wise could it result in an oversight of the potential of ….

Whilst a Pharmico aversion to EHR may be wise could it result in an oversight of the potential of Private Health Records (PHR)?

Is There a PHR Opportunity for Pharmico.

Google and Microsoft have seen the opportunity in empowering the health consumer and patient, even Wal-Mart have entered the fray.

But where is Pharmico?

Is there an opportunity for Pharmico to be a stakeholder in a communications platform for health consumers and patients that realistically confronts the issue of for example, compliance or generics?

Could Pharmicos involvement in PHR facilitate a new style of valued relationship between physician and their clients that compliments Pharmico’s primary agenda?

Is there an opportunity for Pharmico to utilise a PHR platform to develop patient health management agendas supported by physical and virtual communities with implicit natural drivers that actually work?

Could Pharmico’s utilise the data access they could secure through being a PHR stakeholder to combat the considerable power payers and regulators will derive from EHR systems?

Can Pharmico afford to stand powerless outside of the national EHR initiatives only to find itself further removed from control of its primary source of sustenance?

Is There a PHR Opportunity?

Arguably a shift towards health consumers taking responsibility for their health is essential if societies are to cope with the greater demand for, cost and increasing complexity of the evolving healthcare landscape.

[See PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Pharma 2020: The Vision. Pp 17-18.)

EHR systems may do little for patient engagement and empowerment as these are not their primary focus.

And, “Patient access to personal health information is a fundamental issue for patient engagement and empowerment.”

Is EHR Flawed – From the Health Consumer’s Perspective?

Given that patient access to an EHR system is granted:

• What is the health consumer, as opposed to the medical community, going to do with their EHR?
• Is the health consumer going to understand their EHR?
• What use are EHR records going to be to the increasing use of complementary medicine practitioners and treatments by health consumers?
• How will an EHR assist a patient or carers manage treatment?
• How will an EHR create a wellness culture?
• How will an EHR interface with the other health related initiatives such as the use of home diagnostics?
• How will EHR’s interface to the growing digital health community that is owned by third party health network providers?

Could Pharmico Cost-Effectively Create a PHR Position?

An essential ingredient in Pharmicos strategic future is the creation of partnerships and alliances.

Isn’t Pharmico in a unique position to use its undoubted market power to create a strategic stakeholder position in the PHR marketplace?

Could Pharmico use its market position to ensure that the global PHR of choice is appropriate and serves Pharmico’s interest?

If Pharmico misses such an opportunity will it increasingly find its market position - INDIGESTIBLE?

(Tomorrows Blog: Has Pharma the Persona for Social Networking? )