Hurricane Katrina Shows Need for Silicon Valley Health Data Exchange Network, Supporters Say
More than a dozen industry members on Friday will meet to discuss and outline a project in California to create a health data exchange network, saying the number of medical records lost during Hurricane Katrina could give the effort new momentum, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
The business lobbying group Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network in April launched the initiative, called Smart Health, to help improve efficiency and reduce medical errors and health care costs. The project, in which 15 health care and technology companies currently are participating, has raised $50,000 of the $750,000 to $1 million needed to launch the network.
According to the Business Journal, some industry members have been reluctant to join because of concerns over securing of the data, collaborating with competitors and spending money on a "conceptually vague" project.
In October, the group will release a white paper on what kind of information will be shared and how it will be exchanged (Cutland, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 9/26).