Healthcare Ministry to prepare electronic health records in 2014 at the earliest

“All patients will have electronic health records in 2014 at the earliest,” Health Minister Dr. Stefan Konstantinov said today after signing a contract with Social Minister Totyu Mladenov for financial assistance of BGN 9.7 mln, earmarked for the establishment of the integrated information system. The money is under Operational Programme Human Resources Development and the project must be implemented within 27 months. The system will provide patients with electronic health records, in which they will specify themselves as to who will have access to and to what part of their data. The system is also aimed at collecting data on the health services rendered in the country, the number of patients examined, the costs for diagnostics and treatment and the screening programmes performed. The system will link the information systems of the National Healthcare Insurance Fund (NHIF), the National Expert Medical Commission (NEMC), the National Revenue Agency (NRA) and others.

According to Dr. Konstantinov, there are Bulgarians with health insurance who have electronic health records but the system is practically non-functional because access to the records is possible only with a digital signature. Fingerprint access to electronic health records would be the most suitable option, according to Dr. Kostantinov. He has also offered other options of access – with a password and a PIN code or for the data to be entered in a chip in personal identity cards during the next campaign of their replacement. Dr. Konstantinov stressed that the Health Ministry’s idea was not to set up a new database but to use NHIF’s information system.

Social Minister Totyu Mladenov commented that a total of BGN 45 mln have been set aside for the Health Ministry as a beneficiary under priority axis 6 of the Operational Programme. He added that by the end of the month, the Health Ministry will be allocated funds for two more systems – a uniform system for medical expert reports worth BGN 800,000 and a national list of medical items, the preparation of which has been estimated at BGN 150,000.

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