HealthCare Reform

OK... here we go. Hang on for the ride. I am torn on this one. I will have to take the time and review it before passing judgment.
I did however, hear many things I liked. We shall see. The middle class is always getting squeezed and I am looking forward to see how this impacts all classes. How is the middle class defined anyway? Hhmmm

The Cost $$$$$$$$

I see insurance payers and the government, dishing out hundreds of thousands of dollars to get everyone on board. I have not heard of pharmaceutical companies digging into their pockets. Since I believe they will benefit greatly from this initiative, I think they should open their wallets. The data that they will ultimately receive will allow them to enhance their research and development of more and more drugs adding to their wealth.
Not only will they get richer, but their insurance premiums from lawsuits will go down and here is why. Let’s compare it to the auto insurance industry. The more accidents you have the higher your premium, right? Well think about it. A new drug comes to market, the pharmaceutical companies start collecting data from the EMR world. The data on the patients that take this new drug is analyzed. They see a trend of side effects that wasn’t predicted. The cost of potential lawsuits vs the profit margin of keeping the drug on the market until they are forced remove it, is considered. They add in the cost of increasing insurance premiums and they make a decision.
Now if they use the data to apply new early warnings, there are fewer lawsuits, equaling less insurance premiums. I really don’t think that the BIG PICTURE is being looked at here by the majority. Surely somewhere, someone must be realizing the potential and the national impact. I certainly can’t be the only one.

OR, is it being slipped under the radar. The general consensus is that pharmaceutical companies make gazzilions of dollars, so they are not very popular with the general public anyway. Why should they get my data for free, even if my personal identifiers are coded and or stripped from it.
Let's make these companies pay for our health insurance... !!!!

I also see a great impact on the legal system, as well as on your local pharmacy and the big chains too. We can talk about that if you like.

An Industry in its Infancy

Computerization of medical data, Informatics, or Healthcare Information, it all boils down to the same thing, the industry as we know it is gone. Forever changed by technology.
Is it for the better of mankind, maybe? Does it have benefits? There is no denying that it has huge implications that are positive in nature. But it will be years before many of the wrinkles are ironed out.

"The Good List"

Quick List of things that are being impacted, aka “the good list”
• All medical notes are now legible , no more second guessing what was written
• Prescriptions have clearly written instructions for pharmacies
• No more waiting for your records to be copied and sent to a specialist
• You will be notified if you are taking a prescription that is now on a recall list
• Muti-site practices all share the same chart.
• Lab tests do not have to be repeated because results cannot be found

Coming soon to a medical office near you !

So you walk into your doctor’s office and you check in at the front desk. The ask you to confirm your name address and insurance (well if you live in Massachusetts, you have to have medical insurance, it is a law now) within seconds the receptionist can confirm that your insurance is active and also is able to determine what coverage your policy will provide reimbursement for.
Hhhmmm ok that wasn’t so bad. Tomorrow we will talk more about what happens next.

It's all very intimidating

They are here to stay. Electronic Health Records have so many benefits that I can guarantee, they are here to stay. There will be bumps in the road but I can assure you, they are not going anywhere.
The information that can be gathered, analyzed, and compared will become gold ( ok, maybe I should say green , because money is the bottom line ) to insurance payers as well a pharmaceutical companies and many other players in the health care industry.

Confusion for Patients

Every time you turn on the TV these days you hear about "HealthCare Reform". EHR Electronic Health Records is one part of HealthCare Reform that is attracting allot of attention.
But what does it mean to the patient ? How does it impact the care you receive as a patient.
Let's talk about it.