Healthcare delivery has been the key focus for the U.S government which initiated the American Re-investment and Recoveries Act. Believing in healthcare automation, the government has been a staunch advocate for Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) and its widespread usage. Still, EMRs are merely facilitators while physicians are still responsible for delivering quality healthcare.
The effectiveness of the ARRA is instrumental in re-shaping the future of healthcare with an estimate of $6600 in healthcare costs being spent on an individual per annum.
‘The government cannot afford any hiccups. We are all too far invested in this for it not to work.” stated a healthcare IT executive. .” During an independent survey, a construction worker from New Jersey remarked, “$6600? I don’t see it. Where is it going? You step out right now and look around you tell me if you can spot one individual that had 6600 spent on their health, one individual!’’
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The objective of the Meaningful Use program is to ensure that physicians learn how to effectively utilize EMR Software and improve healthcare delivery. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, (CMS) introduced this exercise to help physicians realize what an EMR Software is capable of.
Research by Danny McCormick and David Bor of Cambridge Health Alliance and Stephanie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein of CUNY School of Public Health indicated that EMRs may actually increase the frequency of tests ordered by physicians. More than 28,700 of patient visits and nearly 1,200 doctors were surveyed to determine the outcome. The study shows that physicians utilizing EHRs were 5% more likely to order imaging, rather than doctors who did not.
The previous national coordinator for Health IT at the Department of Health and Human Services from 2009-2011, Dr. David Blumenthal, pointed out that the study represents order of tests and not costs. “The study doesn’t look at the benefits for quality of care at all. It’s possible that the use of tests by some of the doctors could have avoided other costs. This study has no way of assessing the overall implications of the behavior that it’s finding.”
The National Coordinator for Health IT, Dr. Farzad Mostashari voiced similar concerns by saying that the study showed little evidence and did not consider the impact of EMRs in improving healthcare delivery. “Many other variables that could affect physician behavior could not be examined in this study, including having a sicker patient population, level of physician training, approach to defensive medicine, and, importantly, financial arrangements.”
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As a technology, Electronic Medical Record softwares will always remain on the sidelines as long its potential is not fully realized.
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