Faced with the tough challenge of an ageing population and a low birth rate, maintaining a healthy workforce is something that has to be dealt with in every country in the future. By making use of information and communication technology, the NHIA sends the health data of the public to the Cloud so that people can quickly acquire their complete personal health information and further strengthen their ability to take care of their own health. In view of this, the NHIA has integrated the rich historical data in the NHI database and introduced "My Health Bank" system in September 2014. General public can download their health information through online application.
In order for people to access diversified and complete health information, the NHIA integrated related health data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and established " My Health Bank" - a system that stores data in 14 categories, namely NHI Card status and pick-up records, premium statements, premium payment records, outpatient data, inpatient data, dental data, traditional Chinese medicine data, allergy data, test (examination) results, imaging or pathological test (examination) reports, summary of hospital discharge and medical records, organ donation or palliative and hospice medical care choice, adult preventive data, and preventive inoculation data. General public can download their medical information through "My Health Bank" system based on their individual needs.
Because medical data stored in "My Health Bank" system involves personal data, the safety of personal data privacy must be sufficiently considered during the implementation process. When "My Health Bank" system was first launched, one had to log in with his or her citizen digital certificate to be verified. Later, for a more user-friendly experience, one could register, get verified, and download their own "My Health Bank" through the computer with his/her NHI card in May 2015. In addition, access to personal data was made available through mobile devices such as mobile phones starting from October 2015. A user questionnaire showed that among those who had already viewed their own "My Health Bank", 80% were satisfied with it and more than 90% believed that "My Health Bank" system would help boost the efficacy of health self-care.
The NHIA returns the public's health information to them so that they can keep track of their own health. This is in line with the global healthcare trend and is also a revolutionary medical service model. The "My Health Bank" system will continue to improve by providing more enriched data and more convenient access. It is also within this year (2016), the NHIA is planning to make health information that can be viewed in “My Health Bank” be even more simplified, easy-to-read and understand, and visualized. It will enhance people to use “ My Health Bank” and to further promote the overall efficacy, safety, and quality of medical care, thereby accomplishing the 2020 health goal for advanced countries set by the World Health Organization (WHO) - realizing a holistic care model "my data, my decision" that is people-centered.