Avoiding Expensive And Consequential Health Care Decisions Based On Weak Research Designs

Long before Congress created the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, giving $32 billion to health care providers to transfer to Electronic Health Records (EHR) vendors, plans for that windfall were created by an by Health Information Technology (HIT) vendors, HIT enthusiasts, and friendly politicians (like Newt Gingrich). The plans included an enormous lobbying campaign. Congress responded obediently. Most commentators focus on that $32 billion for the HITECH Act’s incentives and subsidies. But that was only seed money. The real dollars are the trillions providers spent and will spend on the technology and the implementation process. Basing Policy On Weak Research Much of the economic justification for the spending on HIT was based on a now-debunked RAND study that promised up to a $100 billion in annual savings. Recently, however, in a remarkable act of ethics and honesty, RAND disclosed its previous study’s problems, dubious data, and weak research design, and that the research was subsidized by two of the larger HIT vendors (Cerner and GE). Interestingly, in contrast, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), both of which touted the first RAND study, have not issued reassessments of their happy predictions but continue to promote HIT’s cost savings and improved patient safety. While HIT should be and absolutely is far better than paper records, mo...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Costs and Spending Drugs and Medical Technology Featured Health IT Long-term Services and Supports Quality ACOs CDC HITECH Act methods ONC Research Source Type: blogs