Many individuals in the healthcare field believe that it is important that medical records be filed electronically to allow doctors and nurses to see what prior conditions an individual has been treated for. It is believed that having a secure national database of individual's medical information will allow healthcare professionals to conduct a medical background check to determine the best course of treatment for the patient and cut down on the risk of the patient being allergic to something given to them by the doctor. The national plan is not hard to imagine, given that many healthcare professionals conduct a medical background check every day.

Many hospitals have chosen to file their medical reports electronically to make it easier for emergency crews to find the information, especially when the patient is unresponsive. When the patient arrives at the hospital, a medical background check is performed by typing the patient's name into the central database and reviewing the resulting returns to ensure that it pertains to the person that is injured or ill. Many individuals that have severe illnesses or disorders will generally have some form of identification that states their name, their medical condition, and what medications are taken to control the condition.

Being able to conduct a medical background check within the hospital has the potential to save lives, which is why creating a national database of medical information seems like such an attractive idea. Many cities and healthcare companies are starting to create central databases of medical information for the hospitals that are within their network. Easy access to the medical information of a patient allows doctors to make more informed decisions about the patient's care.