Intelligent Paper

As healthcare is such a paper centric industry (as is financial services), I often wonder why we can’t get to the point of having intelligent paper.  I looked around a little and have never found anything so let me describe what I envision.

A regular paper that is embedded with intelligence such as RFID and the ability to receive and deliver text and/or graphical messages to the consumer.

Imagine for example a label on a prescription bottle which changed colors when it was time to refill and offered the consumer the ability to request a refill by pressing a digital button that was only available after the refill-too-soon (RTS) edit was passed (typically after 66% of the days supply dispensed should have been used).  Or, imagine new patient registration forms at the physicians office where you filled out one piece of paper that was auto-populated with information from your personal health record (PHR) based on your fingerprint.  All the forms could be brought up one at a time on the digital paper and your answers immediately pulled into the system of record.

Less paper.  More consistency.  Easier communications.  Better quality information.  Less costs associated with data entry. Fewer HIPAA risks.