Deadly Disconnect

A Life Threatening Close Call

An 80-Year-Old Illinois Man Says Electronic Health Information Proved Useful in an Emergency

"Having the information about my medical records on the computer might have saved my life.”
– Richard Peck

Richard Peck loves to enjoy life. That is why he was surprised when his health suddenly took a turn for the worse while he was changing doctors. Fortunately for him, his new doctor was able to transfer all his information from the previous doctor and created an electronic medical record for Richard.

Richard fell ill while visiting Florida in April 2005, following a major surgery in January. He started feeling unwell while still in Florida but decided to wait until he got back home to visit his doctor. By that time, he was quite ill with a fever and irregular heartbeat. “I was just in terrible shape, and my doctor called an ambulance service, printed out everything about my medical records, which he gave to the ambulance service. By the time I got to the emergency room they had already contacted the urologist who had done the surgery on me. The doctors had a course of action planned out. They did everything right.”

Richard was later told that if he had delayed going to the doctor, he would have died within 24 hours. The fact that his entire medical history was available to the hospital and printed out for the ambulance crew allowed the emergency room to have the course of treatment available when he arrived, saving precious time. For him, it meant more than the convenience of having to repeat his medical history. Access to electronic information meant the difference between life and death for Richard.

"Ending the Document Game: Connecting and Transforming Your Healthcare Through Information Technology", from the Commission on Systemic Interoperability. For more personal stories and the Commission’s full report, visit: http://endingthedocumentgame.gov/stories.html