Health District Uses Federal Grant for Records Project
The Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District is using a three-year, $1.5 million federal grant to begin building the infrastructure necessary for an electronic health record system for eastern Kern County, the Antelope Valley Press reports.
The district has created the East Kern County Integrated Technology Association to be the hub for the EHR database, which is accessible to physicians, hospitals, pharmacies and other providers.
The system will provide patients with personal health records, which will be available through a secure Web site called myhealthkeeper.org. Physicians and other providers, with patient permission, also can access the records.
The service includes a special section for diabetics, as part of an effort to reduce the number of county deaths due to diabetes. Additional sections to address health issues, such as mental health and heart disease, might be added to the Web site later.
Initially, the service will be offered at no cost. However, users eventually might have to pay a site maintenance fee.
The federal grant only covers participants within the eastern part of Kern County, but the system's administrators are looking to expand the program to other residents in the region (Gatlin, Antelope Valley Press, 7/28).