Medicare expands online health records programs

Beginning in January 2009, the Bush administration will expand access to online records in Arizona and Utah as part of an ongoing effort to encourage greater use of health information technology. The records will contain up to two years of information from Medicare's records, with patients having the ability to add to their records and share them with physicians, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers. Advocates believe personal health records and electronic medical records, along with other utilities like electronic prescriptions, can reduce medical errors, improve efficiency, and lower costs in the healthcare system.