Technology key for better health care

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The United States leads the world in medical technology, but you'd never know it by stepping into a doctor's waiting room or hospital admissions office.
Paper files. Handwritten prescription slips and patient charts. It's obvious that the medical establishment has yet to complete the jump to the Internet Age. Our health care system has fallen behind every sector of our economy, from car repairs to manufacturing to air travel, for no good reason. There's something wrong when you can walk away from a bank or mechanic with a detailed, easy-to-read printout but, when it comes to your health, you're left hoping the pharmacist can make out the doctor's handwriting.
It's not just inefficient or inconvenient; it's also dangerous. Last year, an estimated 1.5 million Americans were injured through prescription drug errors in hospitals, nursing homes, and doctors' offices. And in the landmark 1999 study, "To Err is Human," the Institute of Medicine estimated that such medical mistakes kill more Americans each year than highway accidents, breast cancer or AIDS.
Our current problem is the product of decades of decisions to not adopt new technology. Unfortunately, we can't solve it overnight. Recognizing that, President Bush has outlined a plan to ensure that most Americans have electronic medical records by 2014. We're on track, though we still have a long way to go.
In 2005, nearly a quarter of U.S. physicians reported using some form of electronic information systems, but only 10 percent actually had systems that could perform basic functions - such as documenting visits, ordering medications and retrieving lab results.
I recently announced a new program to dramatically expand and accelerate the adoption of electronic health records and see how such records can improve health care across the board. The Medicare program is among the largest purchasers of health care in this country, with 43 million beneficiaries and expenditures of $430 billion a year. For the first time, we'll use this market share and these payments to encourage 1,200 small- to mid-size physician practices to implement new technology to better serve their estimated 3.6 million patients of all ages.
Right away these doctors will start to see larger Medicare payments for the services they provide, and incentives are built in to reward the most aggressive adopters of technology to improve the care they deliver. When the federal government puts its money where its priorities are, history shows that the private sector often follows suit. So we're optimistic that many more Americans will reap the benefits of this pilot program.
Besides expanding adoption of electronic health records, this effort will also help us learn how their application can make the entire system more efficient. In addition, it will allow us to get better at paying doctors based on how well they treat their patients, not just on how many patients they treat.
Of course, in our society, where relocation can be the norm, the most advanced machines available can seem useless unless they can talk to one another. To that end, this year I expect to recognize the first batch of standards that will lay the foundation for medical records that are "interoperable" or, in other words, can operate cooperatively with one another. What will interoperable and electronic health records mean? Technology saves lives, and digitized records offer important benefits for both patients and health care providers, including:
• Greater office efficiency, giving patients more face time with their physicians;
• A ubiquitous, yet secure, treatment history that can be lifesaving during national emergencies or natural disasters when patients may be forced to relocate without prior notice;
• Less duplication of work and lab tests; and
• Improved quality of care across the board.
Electronic health records and the secure exchange of medical information online will help transform health care in America - improving quality, preventing errors, cutting costs and reducing paperwork. As a patient and our nation's top health care official, I can't wait to see it happen. Starting now, Medicare is looking for 1,200 physician practice pioneers who will help us move the health care system into the 21st century.
Source: mercurynews.com