Online health survey aims to individualize care

Several health organizations are banding together under an umbrella group to gauge public opinion about establishing a shared database that organizers say will lead to greater quality care and efficiency of its delivery.

The CAPAZ-MEX CCR System is the name of the group that is now looking into creating a file to exchange medical records in electronic form, says Susana Franco, information technology coordinator for Regional Center for Border Health.

"Right now it's online so we want to get the public's opinion about sharing medical records on the Internet," Franco said. "We want to be certain if the community is ready for this."

CAPAZ-MEX is a health exchange information system that is just one of many programs of the nonprofit Regional Center for Border Health, Franco said. They along with three other groups, Community Intervention Associates, Yuma Regional Medical Center, and the Santa Margarita Hospital of San Luis Colorado, Son., are collaborating to see if residents will approve of a Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) in Yuma County.

Patty Aguirre, management support representative of the Yuma Community Health Information Exchange, another nonprofit joining efforts with the other organizations, said the surveys are important because once they have the public's opinion for their proposal they may expand the program in the future to facilitate health care providers.

The confidential surveys will ask about participants computer usage, recent experience with health care and their opinions about the electronic exchange of health data. Surveys will be available until March 1.

The Regional Center for Border Health has two locations that will distribute paper surveys at each clinic as well as community outreach workers who go out to health fairs throughout Yuma County, Franco said.

The surveys are both in English and Spanish as well as online. The English version can be accessed online at: www.surveymonkey.com/YCHIECAPAZ and the Spanish version at: www.surveymonkey.com/YCHIECAPAZ_MEXEncuesta. And YRMC is distributing paper surveys as well which are the same as the online version.

"We invite the community to fill out written surveys or online because we value their input and it's really easy to fill out," Franco said.

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William Roller can be reached at wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.