St Joseph Hospital: Living Will Maryland

Living Will Maryland

integrated PHRs should enable a shift in the health care locus of control to consumers by moving the control of health information from providers to patients or to a more "shared control" model consistent with the concepts of 'advanced medical home' or health home as discussed by the American College of Physicians (ACP) and others The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) introduced the medical home concept in 1967, initially referring to a central location for archiving a child s medical record. In its 2002 policy statement, the AAP expanded the medical home concept to include these operational characteristics: accessible, continuous, comprehensive, family-centered, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective care. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and ACP have since developed their own models for improving patient care called the "medical home" or "advanced medical home." Empowering consumers to "own" and jointly manage the various sources of their health information increases the likelihood that providers will have a comprehensive view of patient information at the point of care.

Integrated PHRs will also support health knowledge promotion and lifestyle modification, and will provide benefits from the translation of clinical data into consumer-friendly health information. Further, they should stimulate patient-oriented decision support for managing chronic illnesses in tandem with clinicians. Creative approaches to fostering health education and lifestyle changes can be enabled with interactive, integrated PHR features that are not commonly available online (e.g., interactive health assessment, online support groups, reminders for preventive services).