I've been perplexed as well. When I practised in India, the poorest of poor people kept all of their own health records and brought them to the visit. Then I came to this country, where most people are educated, have the highest level of education in the world, but have no access to their health information. My observation has been that the end-user, the stakeholder, the individual, the families who have the most interest in making sure this is happening, have no control over it. It's left to us as physicians and health care providers, and the lack of agreement has left us with this situation. So it's not about the money; it's about the voices and the stakeholders. I think the stakeholder, the patient, and the families around them, is what hasn't been able to drive this process. That, I think, is one issue that really gets in the way of us having this good system. That's just my observation.
On April 23rd, 2013. See this statement in context.