A Case of Murder and EHRs -- Final Chapter
A Case of Murder and EHRs
Copyright 2007 by Peter J. Groen and Jaime Nasuti.
Published with permission of the co-authors.
Editor's note: This is the final chapter in this series of blog posts, completing the co-authors' short story. If you don't want to spoil the ending, please be sure to scroll back and read the progression of chapters from the beginning. We'd love to hear your reaction to this series.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"Welcome back to this special coverage of the presidential election results. If you have not heard, Democratic Congressman Stan Martin has beaten his opponent in a landslide victory."
"Some might say Congressman Martin, or I should say President-elect Martin, was helped by the recent harrowing events that took place at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center. An attempted assassination plot was foiled by the computer security measures embedded in the VA's electronic health record system, designed to both protect patients and their confidential medical information. Even as the hospital computer system was used to foil the murder attempt, President-elect Martin's doctor used the same system to discover a life-threatening brain tumor. Physicians successfully removed it within days after the assassination attempt."
"When questioned about his experience at the VA Medical Center, President-elect Martin had this to say":
"I have always stood behind the VA and its use of an electronic medical record. Ever since the tragedy of my wife's death, I have seen the need for a better health care system within our country. My opponents used patient privacy and computer security concerns as a way to discredit my call for a national health care solution and the use of electronic medical records systems similar to that used by the VA. I have seen not only the workings of the electronic medical record, but also the extensive security measures put in place to protect that record. I have also learned first-hand how such a system could actually save my life, and the lives of my fellow Americans."
*** This story and all characters are purely fictional. ***
About the authors
Peter J. Groen is on the faculty of the Computer & Information Science Department at Shepherd University in West Virginia. He is one of the founders of the Shepherd University Research Corporation.
Jaime Nasuti is a graduate of Shepherd University, a former English teacher and an aspiring author. She currently works for a national health care provider organization on the development of training programs and materials for EHR and other health IT systems.
Copyright 9/14/2007 by Groen & Nasuti