Hong Kong plans e-health records

Hong Kong’s Food and Health Bureau has set out healthcare reform plans that include proposals to develop a Hong Kong-wide electronic patient record-sharing system.

The shared electronic health record system would enable different public and private healthcare providers to enter, transfer and access patient data. The system would include mechanisms for obtaining patients’ consent, and for authenticating and controlling data access, based on Smart ID Cards.

A pilot for easier patient registration with the use of Smart ID Cards in hospitals and clinics, linked to clinical records, is scheduled for 2010.

The Hong Kong Food and Health Bureau estimates the capital costs for the system’s development from 2010 to 2019 will be about €115m (HK $1.124 billion).

In July 2007, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Food and Health established the steering committee on EHR sharing. Last July the committee put forward its initial recommendations for an EHR programme, setting out a 10-year roadmap.

The proposed plan for EHR development will be government-led and leverage the Hospital Authority’s systems and know-how, that data privacy and system security be prioritised and legally protected. Participation be compelling – but not compulsory – for patients and healthcare providers.

The system should be based on open, pre-defined and common technical standards and operational protocols. The system’s development should be based on a building-block approach, involving partnership with the private sector.

The first phase of the project is budgeted at €72m (HK $702m) from 2010 to 2014. Further capital funding will be sought later.

Plans call for a dedicated e-Health Record Office to be established with total recurrent spending of about €33.6m (HK $327) million for the years 20010 to 2012.

The Government also proposes to create four directorate posts for four years. The office will start off with 20 civil servants, while the dedicated support teams will have 200 technical staff on average, up to a maximum of 300.

Upon full implementation, the EHR is expected to bing efficiency gains of about €88.4m (HK $860m) a year to total health expenditure as a result of reducing the need to administer paper medical records, duplicate laboratory tests and other documentation.