Another Failure From Obamacare

[Lewkowski]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/bu...ref=technology

Dr. David J. Brailer, who was the nation’s first health information czar under President George W. Bush, said he still believed tens of billions of dollars could eventually be squeezed out of the health care system through the use of electronic records. In his view, the “colossal strategic error” that occurred was a result of the Obama administration’s incentive program.

“The vast sum of stimulus money flowing into health information technology created a ‘race to adopt’ mentality — buy the systems today to get government handouts, but figure out how to make them work tomorrow,” Dr. Brailer said.

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Liberals never stop to think about unintended consequences government money has.

[Aimless]

You didn't read the article did you.

[Dreadnaught]

What is your complaint?

Having seen this issue cause chaos at my personal doctor's office, I'm inclined to agree that the incentives haven't helped make much progress. Everyone's adopting something to get the cash, but this space isn't necessarily ready for it. A more productive system would have encouraged the creation of better software/recordkeeping standards that private companies would be able to build around.

[Aimless]

What is your complaint?

The fragmented adoption of EHR-systems began long before Obamacare and there were already strong incentives for implementing them. Those who complain about many half-assed competing systems are complaining about the free market, about privatised healthcare, and about choice. Those who complain about the overly optimistic projections are complaining about the RAND corporation. Those who complain that providers are using these systems to get more money without patients get more value are, again, complaining about the free market and about privatised healthcare.

I don't disagree that Obamacare may in some alternate reality have been a good vehicle for bringing about a coordinated adoption of good EHR-systems all over the US. I do however reject the facile notion that this problem is entirely or even primarily a problem brought about by Obamacare.

Some background for Lewk:

http://www.businessweek.com/stories/...al-health-care

[Dreadnaught]

[Aimless]

Are you drunk?

[wiggin]

Minx, the UK is very much not a private system - at least nothing like the US system - and their attempt to adopt EMRs was a gigantic boondoggle as well. Not all failures in medicine are a direct result of private healthcare and insurance companies.

[Aimless]

Minx, the UK is very much not a private system - at least nothing like the US system - and their attempt to adopt EMRs was a gigantic boondoggle as well. Not all failures in medicine are a direct result of private healthcare and insurance companies.

I realise that, and I might add that Sweden's systems are also fraught with problems, for all the benefits that they may offer. It was not my intention to imply that the blame for such problems should be placed exclusively on private healthcare. I only wanted to say that such variety is usually seen as a valuable feature of a free and functional market by the same people who oppose socialised healthcare systems.