Washington is moving toward an electronic health records system with a targeted rollout of 2028. In recent coverage by The Seattle Times, John Hartgraves, associate teaching professor in the UW Health Informatics and Health Information Management graduate and undergraduate programs, weighed in on the promise of the transition.
Hartgraves noted that broad efforts to digitize health records have been going on for a long time, “This helps us build … what we would call a ‘longitudinal record,’ which means something that follows the patient throughout their life.”
Continuity of care, particularly for vulnerable populations who might move from one healthcare facility to another with irregular visits, “They don’t stop dealing with whatever chronic illness they have the moment they leave,” Hartgraves said. “So really, having that follow-up care is extremely important.” A uniform electronic health records system can help providers coordinate. Even if a person doesn’t know what medications they’re on or what tests they’ve had, the state already has that record, said Hartgraves.
He also pointed to the wider benefits to public health. Having health data all in one place will help researchers spot broader, long-term health trends across populations.
Read the full article from The Seattle Times.