Fred Schulte: "GOP senators call for overhaul of electronic health records program"

Fred Schulte, investigative reporter at the Center for Public Integrity (link to bio), has authored a new article worth reading in its entirety:GOP senators call for overhaul of electronic health records programLawmakers say Obama's $35 billion initiative pushing health information technology isn't working.Six U.S. Senators are calling for an overhaul of the federal government’s $35 billion plan for doctors and hospitals to switch from paper to electronic medical records, citing concerns from patient privacy to possible Medicare billing fraud.The report issued Tuesday by the half-dozen Republicans concedes that many lawmakers and medical experts believe the digital systems can reduce health care costs and improve the quality of care by reducing duplicative testing and cutting down on medical errors.  [Eventually, and with great effort the details of which many in the field lacking appropriate education and expertise are painfully unaware - ed.]But the report asserts that the Obama administration’s push to use billions of dollars in stimulus money helping doctors and hospitals buy digital systems needs to be “recalibrated.”“Now, nearly four years after the enactment…and after hundreds of pages of regulations implementing the program,” the document says, “we see evidence that the program is at risk of not achieving its goals and that $35 billion in taxpayer money is being spent ineffectively in the process.”I've been calling for a "recalibrati...
Source: Health Care Renewal - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Tags: healthcare IT difficulties healthcare IT risks Center for Public Integrity Fred Schulte Source Type: blogs