SAINT THOMAS TRYING SMART CARDS TO HOLD MEDICAL RECORDS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb.02, 2005) - Saint Thomas Hospital is taking the idea of electronic medical records one step further, this time with a pilot program to embed your medical records, insurance information and other key data on an ATM-like ''smart card'' that a patient can carry.

''It's a way for patients to hold onto their own medical records,'' said Chris Young, Saint Thomas Health Services' chief information officer. The idea is to give patients and doctors easier access to important information when someone is admitted to the hospital or visits the emergency room.

The cards have a computer chip for storing data, including the medications a person takes, and are protected by personal identification numbers. Patients won't be charged anything to enroll in the program.

The program officially starts tomorrow at a health screening and patient enrollment fair at Spaces, a Belle Meade shopping center.

Saint Thomas officials say the idea has at least three benefits: If a patient checks into the hospital or goes to the emergency room, key medical data will be at doctors' fingertips; admitting a patient to the hospital should become a quicker affair because there'll be less paperwork for cardholders to fill out; and as more patients carry cards, it will build brand awareness of Saint Thomas Hospital in Middle Tennessee.

Tomorrow's goal is to recruit as many as 300 patients, collect their health and insurance information, take ID photos and process the smart cards, Young said. Cards will be mailed a few days later. Young said the program could expand to as many as 2,000 patients later this year.

The first target group for sign-ups is women under a program dubbed ''Women of Heart,'' a Saint Thomas initiative designed to teach women about the dangers of heart disease and encourage them to live healthy lifestyles.

Keeping Saint Thomas' program free for the patients is considered a plus.

''It's a matter of educating people about the importance of carrying their medical records,'' Young said. ''We're targeting women at the outset because they're typically very early adopters of technology.''

Young said Saint Thomas has approached other area hospitals about expanding the smart card idea to more institutions within a 50-mile radius of Nashville, but those talks are at a very early stage. One option would be to seek federal technology grants to expand the program, he said.

Some cities have already made smart cards a communitywide push, although at a cost.

Ten hospitals in Omaha, Neb., for instance, agreed last year to deploy a smart card system in emergency rooms that could serve as many as 30,000 patients.

Another Midwestern program aims to sell cards for under $30 apiece to individuals through their employers or insurance companies.

Young said there are no plans to charge for the cards here, adding that the memory-chip cards have dropped so much in price over the last decade that outreach programs have become more feasible.

By RANDY McCLAIN
Assistant Business Editor
The Tennessean