Medical IDs are also being considered for the establishment and use of the Social
Security and Tax Number called My Number in the medical field, and it is expected
that the effort required to match names will be reduced. The introduction of medical
IDs is likely to decrease the threshold for the introduction of regional medical
cooperation networks further. In a network in a large city—where there are many
users—numerous difficulties in providing medical care and related services can be
anticipated. To bring a comprehensive regional medical care system to fruition, a
regional medical cooperation network is considered essential, and we hope that an
introduction will be promoted, along with clarification regarding the cost burden of
operating expenses.
In addition, the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (hereinafter
referred to as the Personal Information Protection Law), which came into effect in
2005, has created a climate of caution regarding the sharing of health information
although the law does not regulate sharing of health information. Local governments
that are not subject to the Personal Information Protection Law established their own
ordinances on the protection of personal information to respect the purpose of the
law. Consequently, many ordinances were enacted for the protection of personal
information, and as these ordinances operate differently, it led to a situation called
the “problem on 2000 personal information protection laws” (Suzuki & Yuasa,
2016). In practice, it is difficult for municipal medical institutions, regulated by
these ordinances, to share health information. Even if sharing health information
becomes technically possible, it is difficult due to the legal system.
Problems of the present health information exchange systems are summarized as
follows: (1) The medical information exchange systems have become complicated
and are necessary to clarify the information for exchange and operation. (2) The
introduction and operating costs of a medical information system are high. (3) It is
necessary to establish a system to comply with the Act on the Protection of Personal
Information.
To overcome these challenges, it is crucial to focus on constructing a health
information exchange system that can be used to support hospitals, clinics, facilities,
and providers for transfer and discharge. Standardization of health information
content is also necessary for coordinated care, which helps information flow
smoothly. In a typical example of collaboration in communities, medical social
workers and discharge coordination nurses at the referring acute care hospitals
search for receiving hospitals, exchange information by telephone/fax/information
exchange systems, and decide on the receiving hospitals. This is the “introduction
and acceptance” type where the acute care hospital initiates the transfer. At the time
of the transfer, patients bring a referral letter from his/her acute care physicians to the
receiving hospital. This referral letter includes information on symptoms, significant
laboratory data, medications, medical history, and family structure. The receiving
hospital conducts the necessary examinations for the new patient. The treatment
decisions are generally made after referring to the results of previous examinations
and historical data from the acute care hospital.
164
K. Katsuyama et al.
Security and Tax Number called My Number in the medical field, and it is expected
that the effort required to match names will be reduced. The introduction of medical
IDs is likely to decrease the threshold for the introduction of regional medical
cooperation networks further. In a network in a large city—where there are many
users—numerous difficulties in providing medical care and related services can be
anticipated. To bring a comprehensive regional medical care system to fruition, a
regional medical cooperation network is considered essential, and we hope that an
introduction will be promoted, along with clarification regarding the cost burden of
operating expenses.
In addition, the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (hereinafter
referred to as the Personal Information Protection Law), which came into effect in
2005, has created a climate of caution regarding the sharing of health information
although the law does not regulate sharing of health information. Local governments
that are not subject to the Personal Information Protection Law established their own
ordinances on the protection of personal information to respect the purpose of the
law. Consequently, many ordinances were enacted for the protection of personal
information, and as these ordinances operate differently, it led to a situation called
the “problem on 2000 personal information protection laws” (Suzuki & Yuasa,
2016). In practice, it is difficult for municipal medical institutions, regulated by
these ordinances, to share health information. Even if sharing health information
becomes technically possible, it is difficult due to the legal system.
Problems of the present health information exchange systems are summarized as
follows: (1) The medical information exchange systems have become complicated
and are necessary to clarify the information for exchange and operation. (2) The
introduction and operating costs of a medical information system are high. (3) It is
necessary to establish a system to comply with the Act on the Protection of Personal
Information.
To overcome these challenges, it is crucial to focus on constructing a health
information exchange system that can be used to support hospitals, clinics, facilities,
and providers for transfer and discharge. Standardization of health information
content is also necessary for coordinated care, which helps information flow
smoothly. In a typical example of collaboration in communities, medical social
workers and discharge coordination nurses at the referring acute care hospitals
search for receiving hospitals, exchange information by telephone/fax/information
exchange systems, and decide on the receiving hospitals. This is the “introduction
and acceptance” type where the acute care hospital initiates the transfer. At the time
of the transfer, patients bring a referral letter from his/her acute care physicians to the
receiving hospital. This referral letter includes information on symptoms, significant
laboratory data, medications, medical history, and family structure. The receiving
hospital conducts the necessary examinations for the new patient. The treatment
decisions are generally made after referring to the results of previous examinations
and historical data from the acute care hospital.
164
K. Katsuyama et al.