I’m not as scared of dying as I am of growing old, Ben Harper, Glory and Consequence
Whether we admit it or not, most of us are afraid of growing old. There is a sense of loss, of youth and vigor, coupled with the burden of managing your health in relative isolation. Although as a country we would like to think that we are each responsible for our own care, most of us as individuals would prefer for someone to be there, helping us through our time of need. Years ago when I was advising one of the Presidential hopefuls regarding a healthcare platform, I suggested that the campaign should be propose that individual was responsible for their own health, but as a country we would partner to provide the tools for the individual to succeed. Now, almost a decade later, we are not much closer to this goal.
Personal Health Records (PHR) were thought to be the answer. These records differ from more traditional EMR in that they are owned by the patient and aggregate information from multiple sources to give a complete picture of the patient. For example, they might include clinic visits from multiple providers, hospitalizations and updates on an exercise program. Literally billions were spent on PHRs by the likes of Microsoft (HealthVault) and Google. Both efforts were failures with thousands (in the single digits) rather than the expected millions of enrollees. As noted by David Shaywitz, healthcare is a negative good, something viewed more with resentment than in anyway positive. And that extends to things that keep us healthy. To interact with your health means you are imperfect, you are mortality.
