Yesterday, Saturday 16 May 2009, the Washington Post went looking to create controversy where there really is none. Their position is that too many HIT vendors stand to profit from the Obama Stimulus Package (i.e., ARRA HITECH Act) and that HIMSS lobbying was at the root of this evil. In fact, they are on the wrong side of the argument. In fact, I believe that they should have been challenging the fact that no one was listening to the lobbying before. What’s your view?
The article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/15/AR2009051503667.html) starts with the following text:
“When President Obama won approval for his $787 billion stimulus package in February, large sections of the 407-page bill focused on a push for new technology that would not stimulate the economy for years.
The inclusion of as much as $36.5 billion in spending to create a nationwide network of electronic health records fulfilled one of Obama’s key campaign promises — to launch the reform of America’s costly health-care system.
But it was more than a political victory for the new administration. It also represented a triumph for an influential trade group whose members now stand to gain billions in taxpayer dollars.
A Washington Post review found that the trade group, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society [HIMSS], had worked closely with technology vendors, researchers and other allies in a sophisticated, decade-long campaign to shape public opinion and win over Washington’s political machinery.”
Oh my! A group looking to improve healthcare through increased use of information technology…sheer scandal. Clearly HIMSS and the Obama Administration must be wrong to promote moving health into the 21st century through the use of technology and bring healthcare in par with the service expectations of the general population and the use of technology in other industries is simply beyond reason…right?
What are they thinking about?
The article is absent of any relevant research about the issues of HIT, health interoperability, and the relevant benefits. There is no mention of the fact that most every government in the world is investing in the integration of health information. There is no mention of the fact that there are numerous cases where HIT is in fact improving the quality of care and while reducing the cost of care.
Anyone who has been in the industry knows that the use of HIT has been pursued for many years. We know also that the US is one of the few countries where the majority of the primary care providers (>80%) are providing care WITHOUT systems. These physicians have no systems to handle such basics as electronically recording the care provided, alerting doctors of conflicting treatments or prescriptions, reducing prescriptions errors due to poor hand writing, or simply reducing administrative cost associated with copying/sharing medical records. Of course the Post did not bother to consider these current condition.
HIT is surrounded by a vast number of complex issues, but the Post is simply proving again that they are just out to sell papers by raising a non-issue for the sake of creating controversy…not inform the public and support a change that must happen.