“While it is easy to understand why the federal government would like to use some form of quantifiable measurements (MU rules) to insure that it is indeed getting its money’s worth for this multi-billion dollar investment in HIT, stepping back, one really has to wonder if this is truly the best approach and the best use of precious tax-payer dollars. It is increasingly looking like what HITECH is creating is yet another layer of bureaucracy, truly a jobs bill (isn’t that what the Stimulus bill was all about anyway), that will ultimately have very little impact on the costs and delivery of care for the incentives are misaligned.
To drive adoption and use of HIT/EHRs it will take far more than what is basically a one time incentive payment and the potential for penalties down the road. What s truly needed is a core business benefit, something that to date, EHR vendors have struggled to demonstrate. How that might manifest itself is where we as a nation and industry need to focus. Unfortunately, in the rush to jump-start the economy with ARRA, we appear to be heading down a path that while paved with good intentions, may ultimately result in little forward movement.”
Article
John Moore, Chilmark Research, 19 February 2010
