Five big firms to promote electronic health files

updated 10:45 a.m. ET Dec. 6, 2006

WASHINGTON - Five of the nation's largest employers plan to soon give their workers a unique health care benefit — their very own electronic medical record that they can take when they travel, change jobs or see a new doctor.

About 2.5 million workers and their dependents would have access to their health records through their computer. The records will be compiled by an independent, nonprofit organization. The information will be stored in a database that only the employee is supposed to be able to access.

The companies providing the electronic health records are Applied Materials, BP America, Inc., Intel Corp., Pitney Bowes and Wal-Mart.

The companies hope that cutting out the paperwork in health care would reduce administrative costs, duplicative care and medical errors.

"It should make the health care process simpler, more straightforward, more cost-effective," said Intel Chairman Craig Barrett.

In turn, the potential savings would make it easier for employers to continue sponsoring health care insurance for their workers. Barrett said those costs are making it harder for U.S. companies to compete.

"Our health care cost are much higher than anywhere else in the world," he said.

Officials say that the Omnimedix Institute of Portland, Ore., will maintain the health records. Omnimedix will gather the information from insurers, pharmacies, doctors and other health care providers. Patients will be able to update the record also with such things as their family's history of illness.

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