The PHR is compliant with both major Electronic Health Record standards, HL7 and the XML-based Continuity of Care Record (CCR), giving it broad appeal in the healthcare market. A standard Windows-based smart card interface application is all that is needed to implement a PHC system.
The healthcare provider securely stores the patient’s personal health information —including allergies, immunizations, medications, blood type, lab results and recent trips to other providers—on the card. But it can also hold additional information such as next of kin, dependents, insurance guarantors, medical insurance information, and advanced directive orders specific to the state in which the card is issued. (An advanced directive tells the physician a patient’s treatment preferences in the event that he or she becomes unable to make decisions—e.g. when in a coma.)
For the patient, the PHC serves as a kind of personal healthcare information bank. Thanks to the Gemalto .NET technology underneath the PHC, patient information is encrypted and stored securely. It can only be accessed with a username and PIN, for maximum privacy and security at all times, so that an individual accessing the card sees only the information they need to see.
For instance, EMTs can use portable readers to access a patient’s medical information in order to make split-second emergency care decisions with minimum risk of error. However, admissions personnel can access a much broader range of information—including insurance coverage and advanced directive orders. As the patient moves through the healthcare system, the various caregivers can update the medical information stored on the card based on their access privileges. The PHC system is also tied into the national RX Hub database to determine the patient’s prescription eligibility.