Order your Edsel

  The past two weeks seems to further elaborate on the issues creaging a  tightening of the Gordian Knot of Health care which threatens to overwhelm and bring our healthcare system and even our economy to a grinding halt. Physicians are rightly frustrated and outraged at the incursion of well meaning pundits, experts, health policy gurus and others, who have meddled with the patient doctor relationship. It may never be restored.  The new wave of HIT and EMR adoption foists upon not only providers but misguieded taxpayers who are being sold a bill of goods akin to the "Edsel" of the 1960s. Rick Weinhaus MD  writes in The Health Care Blog about the folly of today's unproven CCHIT certified EMRs. Here are some...

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The Final Frontier---where no man has gone before

  For those of you in the know, this week is a critical time in health care reform. The Sentate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pension committee, chaired by Senator Ted Kennedy is analyzing and weighing the various bills being proposed in Washington, this week. NPR is carrying a good portion of the proceedings. There is a lot at stake. Not only will proposed changes make immediate impacts, but in the future these changes will have unintended consequences. This happened with Medicare, the HMO act of 1971, Congressional budget regulations regarding sustainability (SGR) adjustments each year, and others. The federal government is slow to act, and slower to re-act. Legislation cut in stone is often in the end counterproductive. Some...

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A Political Message and Agenda

The final key to HIT adoption may lie with the beleagured physician (provider) as he attempts to deliver the best (healthcare), science based medicine to his patient (consumer).  The names and titles may change, but the challenges remain the same. The simultaneous arrival of financial crisis, healthcare crisis, ARRA, and Health Information Technology adoption seems to be the 'perfect storm' for political meddling with medical care. This statement appears at the introduction of the 'HIT Certification Course" sponsored by an unamed group using the term HIT Certification and a web site   'healthitcertification.com ' The web site does have a contact us link.  There appear to be many pundits or 'experts' on healthcare policy',...

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Is Help on The Way?

  Readers may turn their attention to the Federal Register, outlining the plan as part of the ARRA stimulus package to develop Regional Extension Centers for assisting in developing Health Information Exchanges and assist in the build out of EMRs, and interoperability amongst providers. This 'small tome' of the register is largely unreadable and unintelligble.  The facts are in there somewhere if you are not prone to migraine and/or presbyopia.  The goals and mandates are in there, whether they will truly be funded, and/or  pursued is up to doubt. Certainly the Obama Administration talks the talk, and may walk the walk.  It remains to be seen whether regional differences and serious reservations which remain will impede the flow chart. ...

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