WSJ.com - IBM Will Offer Electronic Records For Health Care

WSJ.com - IBM Will Offer Electronic Records For Health Care: "IBM Will Offer
Electronic Records
For Health Care
By CHARLES FORELLE
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 19, 2005; Page D7

International Business Machines Corp.'s 180,000 U.S. employees will soon be able to store their health information in electronic form, in a program that the company believes is the first of its kind for a major corporation.
Electronic records have been widely touted by the federal government and some health-care advocates as a way of reining in health-care costs, particularly in the administration of benefit plans and care, by reducing paperwork. President Bush has called for electronic records for most patients by the middle of the next decade.
With electronic health records, a diabetic patient could, for example, be reminded via email to get yearly checkups. The patient would have a permanent record that a doctor could access even if the employee changed jobs or physicians or cities.
But studies show that fewer than 25% of hospitals -- and even fewer doctor's offices -- have adopted electronic records. IBM says it hopes its effort will help increase their use. If large employers give their employees electronic records, IBM argues, hospitals and doctors will be more encouraged to adopt them. 'It's a classic chicken-and-egg problem around health-care information,' says Neil de Crescenzo, an IBM vice president.
IBM's effort, expected to be announced to employees in a memo today, represents a first step toward a complete electronic health record. IBM employees initially will be able to input their health information into a Web-based system that will track things like prescription medications and chronic conditions.

Ready Business - From the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Homeland Security Urges Small and Medium-Sized Businesses to Take Steps to Prepare for Emergencies; New PSAs Explain Importance and Dispel Myths about Difficulty and Costs

http://www.ready.gov/business/index.html

Monday October 31, 9:01 am ET

Ready Business, an extension of the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security's successful Ready campaign, is designed to
educate owners and managers of small to medium-sized businesses about
preparing their employees, operations and assets in the event of an emergency.
To help spread this critical message, Homeland Security, in partnership with
The Advertising Council, has sponsored new business-specific public service
announcements (PSAs).

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses
represent more than 99 percent of all employers; provide approximately 75
percent of the net new jobs added to the economy; and represent 97 percent of
all U.S. exporters. Unfortunately, small to medium-sized businesses are also the most vulnerable in the event of an emergency. By taking some steps ahead of time, many of these businesses can be better prepared to survive and recover after an emergency, thus making the nation and the economy more stable.

Although most businesses agree emergency preparedness is important, too few are taking the necessary steps to prepare. According to an October 2005 survey of small businesses conducted by The Ad Council, 92 percent of respondents said that it is very important or somewhat important for businesses to take steps to prepare for a catastrophic disaster, such as an earthquake, hurricane or terrorist attack. However, only 39 percent said that their company has a plan in place in the event of such a disaster. Qualitative research with this audience demonstrated that even though many acknowledge the value of preparedness, they see time, workforce and money constraints prohibiting them from developing a business continuity plan. The goal of these new Ready Business ads is to show that developing an emergency preparedness plan can be relatively easy and cost-affordable.
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