Excerpts from a San Jose Mercury News op-ed from Cisco Healthcare Practice VP Dr. Jeffrey Rideout...
In the past 20 years, information technology has revolutionized virtually every facet of our lives. Unfortunately, one of the areas in which the revolution has been slow in coming is arguably the most important from a human and financial standpoint: our health care system.
There are signs that this is finally changing. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt signaled this week that the Bush administration will play a strong role in driving health care IT standards that are crucial for electronic health records to gain traction. The adoption of electronic health records will do more than just streamline our health care system and curb costs. It also will enable clinicians and hospitals to gain better information about a patient's health history, which will improve medical care and save lives....
Our health system is indisputably in need of help. Each year 44,000 to 98,000 Americans lose their lives to preventable medical errors. More than 45 million Americans are uninsured, in no small part because of the administrative waste and high cost of care in the system. Getting evidence-based care is, in many situations, not much more likely than a coin flip. And the cost of medical care has become the country's No. 2 cause of personal bankruptcy. None of these trends is improving -- in fact most are getting worse. At current rates it is estimated that 28 percent of the American workforce will be uninsured by 2013....
.... the stakes are huge. Savings for implementation of inter-operable health technology are substantial. For the president's goal of inter-operable electronic health records alone, there is a potential to save $78 billion a year -- 5 percent of total health care spending, with broader savings estimates reaching several times that amount. All told, information technology represents a $200 billion opportunity for health care, enough by itself to bring health care costs under control and in line with the rate of inflation in the rest of the economy.
Other sectors of the economy have long seen that information technology -- viewed comprehensively and deployed effectively -- can replace old problems with new possibilities. It's time the health care industry joined the revolution.
It's unfortunate to hear so many americans lose there lives due to preventable medical errors. . I hope everyone receives health inusrance or plans to as health insurance is a major aspect to many.
Posted by: Blue Cross of California | November 29, 2005 at 09:03 PM
I hope everyone receives health inusrance or plans to as health insurance is a major aspect to many.
Posted by: Acai Berry | August 01, 2009 at 08:03 AM
well, It's unfortunate to hear so many americans lose there lives due to preventable medical errors
Posted by: resveratrol | August 01, 2009 at 08:04 AM
I hope everyone receives health inusrance or plans to as health insurance is a major aspect to many.
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I hope everyone receives health inusrance or plans to as health insurance is a major aspect to many.
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