Smart Cards and Their Place in the Future of Digital Health Records: Starring Role or Bit Player?

This Health Industry Insights report discusses a bold and innovative pilot program about to commence at a major health system in New York. A partnership between the Mount Sinai Medical Center (MSMC), the New York City Health and Hospital Corp. (HHC), and Siemens Communications will utilize smart card technology to facilitate access to medical record information and strengthen positive patient identification.

Interest in the sharing of electronic health information has burgeoned among all of the constituencies in the healthcare ecosystem, spurred by more than 100 local digital health information exchange pilot programs and encouraged by a series of high-profile federal initiatives.

According to Marc Holland, director, Healthcare Provider Research, "Although interest in providing patients and their healthcare service providers with access to the entire continuum of a patient's health record is strong, the associated technical, organizational, political, and economic complexities will likely require 10 years or more to fully implement. Smart card technology may offer not only an interim technique for facilitating digital health information exchange but a means of securing its long-term success."