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The Medical Banking Project's mission is to promote using the online banking infrastructure for the exchange of health care financial and clinical information. To help get the word out, John Casillas, the Franklin, Tenn.-based organization's executive director, this week embarked on a cross-country road trip, with 65 planned stops.

Casillas is reaching out to banks, businesses, providers, universities, consumers and policymakers. The Medical Banking Project bills the trip as "The Point & Click Expedition: One Man's Journey to Transcend the Gridlock."

Some 55 million U.S. households already use online banking, Casillas notes. "It would be a shame if we didn't leverage an existing platform in 55 million homes that's growing by 3.2% a year," he contends.

Members of the Medical Banking Project include financial institutions, technology vendors serving the financial and health care industries, universities, government agencies and some large employers. Their vision is to use the existing secure banking infrastructure to streamline and automate the health care payment process. They also contend the infrastructure could serve as a gateway for personal health records for consumers that are populated with official medical records from providers.

Health care providers, vendors and consumers teaming with banks also would gain access to advanced security technologies, such as identity management, Casillas says. He believes companies such as Microsoft HealthVault, Sun Microsystems and Canopy Financial could lead the way to combine online banking and PHRs.

But banks also have to get on board, and that's a strong part of the message during Casillas' nationwide tour. More information on The Point & Click Expedition, including a link to schedule a meeting with Casillas, is available at mbproject.org.

--Joseph Goedert