300 Longwood Avenue Boston, MA 02115 (617) 355-6000 Research: Indivo -- Personally controlled health record system Medical information has been computerized for decades, yet patients still have very little access to their own records, and there is surprisingly little information-sharing between health care plans. As a result, medical decisions are often made with incomplete information. Effective electronic medical record systems have remained out of reach, in part because technical standards have been slow to emerge, and because different computer systems lock their data in proprietary formats. Meanwhile, patient concern about privacy of their medical information is at its peak. The Children's Hospital Informatics Program has been a leader in designing personal health records that, unlike others, are controlled by the patient. Its highly secure, Web-based technology allows patients to own and control -- not merely view -- a single, unified, complete medical record that integrates health information gathered across different sites of care over their lifetime. Patients have complete authority to grant or withhold access to their record by individuals or institutions. However, if patients wish, their data can be used for research and public health surveillance, retaining complete confidentiality and security. Children's Hospital Boston has adopted Indivo as the medical records system for all its patients, and will begin piloting its use in the near future. View a demonstration Indivo Basics [QuickTime, 9Mb] Sharing Medical Data with Indivo [QuickTime, 5.5Mb] Secure Access Between Doctor and Patient [QuickTime, 3.7Mb] Get QuickTime To learn more, go to www.indivohealth.org, or read this article from Harvard Focus. The information on this website should not be taken as medical advice, which can only be given to you by your personal health care professional. Copyright © Children's Hospital Boston. All rights reserved.