There is a heated debate about whether electronic medical records will save the health system money or improve quality and what their economic impact on health care providers will be. A survey reported in Health Affairs suggests that results may be mixed.
An article by Rand Corp researchers published in Health Affairs indicates that electronic health records and other aspects of health information technology are not fulfilling their promise, whatever that was. The authors give reasons for the disappointing performance and suggest remedies.
It is cooling down across most of the country, but our Potpourri remains red-hot, with nuggets on the moderation in health spending over the last few years, how to change automatic health behaviors, EHRs and diabetes care, a medical home pilot in Colorado and an ACO demonstration in Maine.
Another luminescent Potpourri, focusing on the ACA’s high-risk pool plan; controlling health spending in Massachusetts; what components of EHRs and HIEs may control costs; another survey of employers and dealing with hospital pricing power.
The Center for Public Integrity has pointed out what was an obvious unintended consequence of greater use of electronic health records–providers will use the additional clinical information to feed billing systems that use the data to maximize coding for reimbursement. Medicare is already feeling the effects and other payers are likely to do so also.
With all the federal incentive money sloshing around, the health information technology market, especially for electronic medical records, has understandably been hot and there are many competitors all seeking revenue from that market. A recent Medscape survey identifies which EHR vendors seem to be making the most progress.
A report from the Centers for Disease Control updates information on rates of electronic health record adoption. Given the incentives from the federal government, adoption seems surprisingly slow and meaningful use lags even further behind. Most doctors report being satisfied with their system.
About this Blog
The Healthy Skeptic is a website about the health care system, and is written by Kevin Roche, who has many years of experience working in the health industry. Mr. Roche is available to assist health care companies through consulting arrangements through Roche Consulting, LLC and may be reached at [email protected].
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