Owners of Maryland health insurance policies are concerned about privacy as Maryland’s efforts to implement electronic records escalates.  There is a strong debate about patient privacy and the possible exploitation of the new technology according to the article “Will Electronic Medical Records Invade Your Privacy” by Andrea K. Walker on Baltimoresun.com.

Electronic records are becoming more and more popular throughout the world, and are a way to improve care, make it more efficient and potentially save billions of dollars in health costs but doctors and other advocacy groups are concerned about the risk of exposing personalized health records.  One major risk is that health insurance companies and drug companies have the ability to manipulate the records which could affect how a patient is treated.

State health officials are aware of the privacy concerns with computerized health records and are working hard to ensure worries do not become a reality.  The state agency is determined to set forth policies to protect patient privacy while ensuring that the guidelines for storing information are followed closely by physicians and hospitals.  In this modern world, electronic information is inevitable, but caution is a must to ensure people are protected.