Startup Targets Foster Child Health Records

An IT startup is tackling the problem of logistics when it comes to the health records of foster children. While most states are supposed to forward paper-based health records when a foster child is relocated, the records are sometimes lost or never sent at all. A cloud-based records system to track children as they enter the foster care system is being developed by AboutOne in Paoli, Pa., MedCityNews reported.

The system, which is being piloted with the Philadelphia Department of Health and Human Services and the Child Welfare League of America, will help ensure that records are updated more frequently and stored securely in the cloud. An initial $50,000 is being raised using the crowdfunding website IndieGogo.

“Once we have taken lessons learned from this, we will make the system available to all cities and states,” said AboutOne founder Joanne Lang. The company is leveraging its existing cloud-based patient record platform to build this system.  

One challenge in developing such a system is navigating complex medical confidentiality laws, which vary from state to state. Ventura County, Calif., among others, is experimenting with health information exchange programs that allow caregivers and healthcare providers to share information.