Posted on 09/29/2007 8:50:27 PM PDT by cool2007
CHICAGO – A new report by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and GE Healthcare Financial Services identifies strategies to help hospitals maximize technology investments in order to prevent financial risks.
The report Today’s Technology Spending Trends: Strategies for the Healthcare Executive is the second installment of the Financing the Future III series and focuses on the state of healthcare technology spending today, near and long-term trends, barriers to IT adoption, and views regarding funding for IT initiatives. Story Continues Below Advertisement
The report advises against looking to policymakers, capital leaders and payers for the money to invest in IT but rather to optimize technology resources.
“Hospitals need to get out of the mentality that if they are going to share info in the 21st century, than someone else had to pay the bill,” said Derek van Amerongen, MD, vice president and chief medical officer of Humana Health Plans of Ohio.
When it comes to making an investment in IT many organizations are looking beyond “hard dollars” the report finds. Information technology has become a tool that hospitals today, need to have in order to compete in the healthcare industry, it says.
According to the report hospitals must leverage technology that already exists to fund technology for the future.
“Today’s healthcare executive cannot wait for policy changes, significant infusion of government funds, or other external sources of support to pursue investments like electronic health records,” said Richard L. Clarke, president and CEO, HFMA. “If they hesitate, they may be putting themselves at financial risk.”
10 years ago when I was consulting in HC IT, I never heard anyone suggest public funds for electronic medical records investments. Is that even discussed now?
I read more closely than usual but still don’t know what “IT” is (unless it’s Clara Bow).
Hillary: "If businesses received a proportionate reduction in their health benefits spending, they would achieve at least $25 billion in savings in 2004 dollars. Families would substantially benefit as well... And these savings would be reinvested in the system to help cover the 45 million uninsured."
(Oh wonderful...)
I think the 5th paragraph mentions “Information Technology”;
“IT”. Referring to electronic medical records, Ya think.?
I work in the field, and I sure haven’t heard of it. It is each hospital for themselves to purchase and implement IT solutions.
I work for an EMR (Electronic Medical Record) infrastructure provider. Great technology that can save a lot of money in the long run, and provide better care for patients.
BUMP
Half of Canadian hospitals still don't even have a CT scanner. An MRI is unthinkable, only one per major city in each province.
Besides, with all the doom and gloom talk about a collapsing American economy, talk of government run health care will fade away. Nobody will have jobs (except illegal Mexican aliens) to pay the higher taxes Hillary will need, and all the doctors (nurses as well) will leave the country to work in more profitable places, where they won't be forced to work for wages that won't even pay for the student loans they racked up after 7 years of med school.
It's that very reason Canadian med school graduates have been leaving Canada for the past 15 years, leaving that country so desperate for doctors they import them from 3rd world countries where med school only takes 6 months, and knowing how to read and speak english is optional.
When my employer took the IT plunge, one of the rationales they used was that it would drastically cut down on paper. Now, some 6-7 years later, they are using a helluva lot MORE paper.
However, we have patient information much more readily available, which does improve patient care in many respects(although it is a lot more work than the archaic “paper” charts).
100% Agreed.
This is a case where technology can vastly improve the quality of the care. The devil is in the details, though...implementation...support...training.
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