MN plans PHRs for all citizens by 2011

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) has proposed giving all of the state's citizens access to a personal health record by 2011, beginning the rollout in 2009 with a PHR for each of the state's 50,000-odd employees. This follows a suggestion he made earlier this month to give all state employees an EMR, linked with a $250 reimbursement account for out-of-pocket expenses. The state, which expects to make the records available to most Minnesotans by 2011, expects to spend $600,000 on the initial phase of EMR development. The PHR, for its part, will include a wide variety of data, including prescription histories, immunizations, lab results and other medical records; the records will be accessible to consumers once they create a "personal portfolio."

It's interesting to note, by the way, that Pawlenty appears to be a serious contender for the Republican party's vice presidential nomination. If the governor is tapped, it seems likely that he'll bring more knowledge of, and interest in health data management issues than some other potential contenders, given his track record to date.

To learn more about Pawlenty's plans:
- read this HFMA News piece

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