Widener’s criteria served as a backdrop in the process of evaluating the website. Below is a brief summary of the aspects of the website that I was looking for:
- Authority- the website clearly displayed contacts to the organization that was responsible for the information.
- Currency- the website was current because information on the pages came with the date(s) of publication
- Coverage-the website had clear labeling and proper links to pages that provided specific information about a certain issue.
- Objectivity- there was no bias on the usage of the site and anybody with interest in information on the site could access it.
- Accuracy- the facts on the website were very accurate and no exaggerations were made in order to attract users.
People are constantly traveling all over the world, and it is almost impossible for them always to carry around their health records. However, with remarkable advancements in network systems, parts of the world are have been interconnected to the extent that it has become an actuality for individuals to possess virtual medical records. These are documents that can easily be accessed from anywhere and at any time. These virtual records will help reduce the medical errors that have been found to cause a substantial number of deaths (Chinna, 2005). This paper serves as an analysis of an eligibility test that was conducted recently at Medicare.gov.
The results
Before I evaluate the results of the Medicare eligibility test, it is worth noting that the automated collection of personal details was very user-friendly. People of varying abilities and ages could easily provide the required answers because the questions were very straightforward and all that was required was to pick one option or the other. Navigating through the site was easy because the ‘next’ buttons on the flash form were virtually the same location from one page to the other. There were neither a dead end nor orphan pages on the site and the flash transitions were as brief as required. As a result of this logical navigation system, it is easy for an elderly person to navigate the site. Natesan Chinna in his paper on the impact of the internet on health services says, “While technology has not been a barrier to the development of networks that enable storage and retrieval of medical records, public acceptance of distributing personal medical records on the web has been lacking” (2005). The information required for this test was however quite harmless and people could volunteer it without as much thought. Coming to the eligibility results it goes without saying that the presentation is very impressive. The results covered the key points that determined eligibility, and they were presented in such a format that senior citizens could appreciate. The idea to breakdown the results into three parts was priceless because it makes it easy for the reader to arrive at a general picture of the services offered and identify the one(s) that he or she is eligible for. Below is a summary of the details provided in the three categories of the report listed as general enrollment, part A specific, and Part B specific.
General enrollment
This part of the result sheet serves as a step-by-step rundown of all the health service provisions that a person born on 18th July 1945 is eligible for. From the submission, the exact date when the applicant would be eligible for both parts A and B of the Medicare requisites has been provided as of July first, 2010. A telephone number and a link to the department of social services have also been provided to enable interested users to send in their applications. The brief detailing of the services that individuals receive by virtue of registering for either part A or B coverage serves the purpose of enabling applicants to make informed decisions. The information that all citizens qualify for Medicare once they reach 65 years is definitely one that is not known to many, and it was a good idea to have it included on the result slip.
Medicare Part A specific
This part reveals that individuals who have worked in Medicare-covered employment for a minimum of 10 years do not have to pay nor apply for this service as they are automatically given consideration. It has also been hinted in this segment that individuals who do not meet the above requirement have to pay a premium to qualify for Medicare Part A. The only data that should have been included in this part but has been omitted is the value of the premium that one should pay. However, by providing the contacts to the social services offices this omission may well have been covered because interested individuals could call the department and make enquiries. A clear relation has been shown between Medicare Part A and Medicare part B and this helps reduce confusing figures that could have shown up were the two parts to be combined.
Medicare Part B specific
The enrollment periods for individuals to sign up to the service and the time when the coverage will start have been clearly explained. One strongpoint of this part is that it lists the value of the premium that has to be paid and a clarification of how the amount would be obtained from month to month has also been made. Once again the telephone number and link to the local social services offices have been a necessary inclusion as well as the link to Medigap policies. The only debatable point that has presented itself about the Medicare coverage is the 10% increase in Medicare Part B for each year that an individual does not register. Many would argue that individuals should be allowed to sign up for these services within their time and should not be forced to take them up when they are not ready by threatening to raise the costs. However, this contention is subject to personal opinion.
Conclusion
Evidence is there that technology has played a key role in streamlining operations within the medical field. Whereas debate still goes on especially on legal issues concerning who should access virtual medical records (Perkin, 2001), the benefits accrued by the online system of data storage cannot be downplayed. The availability of basic information on the Internet that does not affect an individual’s privacy like the one required for Medicare qualification would come in handy should the person be incapacitated whenever this information is needed (Patterson, 2000). From the human services department point of view updating of medical records need not be a tedious procedure that calls for individuals to line up in unending queues. Registration processes could easily be carried out by the people themselves from the comfort of their homes as long as the responsible departments provide them with easy to fill forms like the one that has just been evaluated.
References
Chinna N. (2005). The Impact of the Internet on Health Care Services.
Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, 7(2), 247-251.
Patterson D. A. (2000). Personal Computer Applications in the Social Services. Massachussets: Allyn and Bacon, Inc.
Perkin, J. (2001). New Services Will Keep Eye on Security. Financial Times.