Bolstered by the stimulus, there’s no doubt that there’s a significant push for doctors and hospitals to adopt digital medical records.
I’ve written before how we’re essentially throwing money at Windows 95 technology, but now, as an article from BusinessWeek points out, there’s a real danger in moving too fast.
Somewhat under-publicized were the incompatibilities with older systems in the Geisinger Health System, which after spending $35 million on software, noticed a spike medication errors that required another $2 million to fix.
Or what happened at the University of Pennsylvania, which found medication errors stemming from software designed to prevent mistakes.
Worse, there is no national database tracking the errors that are caused from electronic medical records. Because most of the programs are not open-source, confidentiality agreements meant to protect proprietary technology also serve to hide mistakes.
Ideally, these issues need to be resolved before throwing more money into bad technology. But, because of the intuitive notion that technology automatically improves health care, no one seems to be advocating a more cautious route which may, in actuality, better serve patients.
Related posts:
- Electronic records are supposed to reduce medical errors, right?
- More medical errors
- Medical errors: Impact on physicians
- Most hospitals still use paper records, and why money alone won’t solve the electronic medical record problem
- Is incident reporting effective in reducing medical errors and increasing patient safety?
- How an EMR destroyed this practice’s medical records
- Medical errors and patient responsibility
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In many ways the stimulus to push for IT tech has failed. The problem is that it is government wants to mandate one but nonody has any idea what the government will finally set on. We do not know what the government will require in EMR systems and then we do not know if you have a system if it will talk to the one that the government demands. As a result, there is now a huge dis-incentive to move towards an EMR or other IT technology. Why buy something now, wait until the Feds figure it out. Of course, the Feds will take forever, so there goes any EMR.
It is true that much money is spent for health information, but it is also quite true that so far no will find the cure for terrible diseases and quickly became generalized in our body, it calls on the authorities to better distribution of this money because it is spending so far in vain, I have friends who suffer from cancer, HIV, Alzheimer’s, and so far we can not find any solution to the disease, only the medicines in vicodin to control their pain, but until you take the same? actually there will be some day, the cure? Please have to be sensible and remember that nobody is free from disease and therefore it is important for everyone.
The government should define the parameters of what a system should have: Security, interoperability, file compatibility, data interchange, features like e-prescribing, and the like.
Then, let industry work to those standards. The best products will survive.
Or, we can all go onto VistA, run off of government boxes.
Thousands of knowledgeable professionals with a personal stake are independently coming to the conclusion that the benefits of EMR do not currently outweigh the advantages. These are the hospital administrators, boards, and medical staff currently deciding not to do it for now.
Nothing should be mandated here. Information technology should be allowed to evolve in healthcare the same way it has in other areas of the economy based on it proving it’s worth to those responsible for their particular operations–not mandated based on theoretical advantages that are being exagerated by those with ulterior motives while concealing the problems.
Freedom will work if we give it a chance.
VERY FUNNY, KEV
Is there going to be huge H.I.T. screw-up? Will Obama/Newt screw-up H.I.T.? Will billion$$ of tax-dollars be lost?
Is the Pope Catholic?
Of course — ~50% of big I.T. projects fail. Anyone with authentic I.T. experience knows that.
This H.I.T. thing isn’t about reality. It’s about spending tax dollars and buying votes.
And when failures happen and tax dollars lost — will anyone be held accountable?
Sure — just like the guy(s) involved with SCARE Force One buzzing Ground Zero and frightening millions of people.
Gimme a break. And quit BS-ing.
Good products live up to the claims made for them, and they sell themselves. EMRs fail on both counts
The vast majority of physicians have not pulled the electronic medical record (EMR) trigger. Here’s why. http://mdwhistleblower.blogspot.com/2009/04/electronic-medical-records-fear-factor.html
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