E時代看病：AT&T建立電子醫學信息系統
電子醫學
星期一，2008年2月25日，ERIK SCHELZIG/美聯社
（田納西州，納什維爾）電信公司星期一表示，AT＆T公司與美國田納西州是合作伙伴，提供該國的第一部全州系統，來通過電子方式交換病人醫療信息。
該系統經過精心設計，保證詳細的病人資料可在醫療專家之間安全地傳輸。它將使醫生能夠通過因特網來獲取病歷，開處方藥品并傳輸圖像，如X光片， 核磁共振和CT掃描。
“作為患者，我們真的希望我們的資料可以很方便的提供給醫生，無論在何時何地，” AT ＆ T亞特蘭大分公司保健營銷主任Diane Turcan說道，“我們當然不希望以復印文件被記錄下來”。
她還表示，美國田納西州的這一方案為其他州的提供了一個模型，而且可能是將來州際信息共享網絡的一個跳板。
醫生可利用該系統進行遠程評估農村地區的病人，那里沒什么醫療設施。它也將連接到國家衛生部門，從而實現免疫接種和疾病登記，死亡證明處理，以及醫療執照續期。
他在一份書面聲明中說道，“如果病人的病歷和護理記錄可輕松被他們的醫院，實驗室，藥房或醫師獲取，那么他們最終將得到更好更經濟的醫療護理。
AT＆T正在為已經提供給田納西州的各國機關的安全網絡研發一個民營門戶網站，Turcan表示， AT＆T公司在門戶網站的投資已很“重大”，但沒有透露細節。
州長的電子健康理事會的董事及主席Antoine Agassi說，田納西州與AT＆T的處理應該為個人用戶降低成本。醫生可以申請國家資助，以支付的登陸這個系統的成本。
“有能力以一個非常具競爭力的價格從一個預先商定的服務水平獲得這個，是向前邁了一大步，”他說。
Agassi表示國家和AT＆T將在今年花大部分時間微調系統，并希望消費者可以在2008年年底開始看到明顯的改變。 
馬上翻譯!
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — AT&T Inc. is partnering with Tennessee to provide the country's first statewide system to electronically exchange patient medical information, the telecommunications company said Monday.
The system is designed to securely transmit detailed patient information between medical professionals. It will allow doctors to access medical histories, prescribe medicines over the Internet and transfer images like X-rays, MRIs and CT scans.
"As patients we really want our information to be available to physicians whenever and wherever they're needed," said Diane Turcan, director of health care marketing for AT&T in Atlanta. "And we certainly don't want to be copying paper records."
Tennessee's program is seen as a model for other states and may be a springboard for interstate information sharing networks in the future, she said.
Doctors can use the system to remotely evaluate patients in rural areas who have less access to medical facilities. It will also link to the state Department of Health for access to the immunization and disease registry, death certificate processing and medical license renewals.
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, who ran HealthAmerica Corp. before becoming a politician, has championed electronic records because of the inefficiency of the current paper-based system.
AT&T is developing a private portal within the secure network it already provides for state agencies in Tennessee. Turcan said AT&T's investment in the portal has been "significant" but declined to elaborate.
Antoine Agassi, director and chairman of the governor's eHealth Council, said Tennessee's deal with AT&T should keep costs down for individual subscribers. Doctors can apply for state grants to defray the costs of getting set up on the system.
"Having the ability to get this from a pre-negotiated service level at a very, very competitive rate is a huge step forward," he said.
The state and AT&T will spend most of this year fine-tuning the system and hope that consumers will begin to notice a change by the end of 2008, Agassi said.
