Archive for January 12th, 2007
Editorial by New Gingrich on Health IT Adoption
January 12, 2007
Newt Gingrich wrote an editorial for the Philadelpha Inquirer this week title: “Getting health-care field wired:
Few U.S. hospitals and doctors use information technology in delivery of care. This must change.” Some quotes are informative:
- The technological gulf in health care isn’t just inefficient and costly; it may also be involved in costly inefficiency and the persistence of a high error rate in medicine.
- Only a quarter of all hospitals and less than 15 percent of all physicians use information technology in the delivery of care.
- Payment models should not be changed for the sake of technology itself, but for the better-quality care it would help deliver.
- He cites the Stark reforms but states, “From Medicaid regulations to antiquated statutes from decades ago, all
of them should be broken down to expedite the adoption of IT.” - he encourages the use of Health IT in medical schools as a long term strategy
- and finally contrast the high use of the web by physicians as a reference and education tool while still using paper to manage clinical care.
It’s good to have a political savvy advocate like Gingrich on the site of Health IT. Let’s hope more people listen to him.
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