Healthcare IT: Saving Lives, Saving Money

On Cisco’s High Tech Policy blog Paul Redifer writes:

"The US health care industry has been one of the last to benefit from the increased efficiencies brought by the adoption of information technology tools. Despite abundant evidence that technology could help lower costs and improve health care outcomes, providers have been slow to adopt. For most US providers the biggest obstacle has been poor return on investment. A small physician practice could face costs of over $30,000, yet that practice may see very little of the financial benefits. Instead, patients and insurers – either private or government-run Medicare and Medicaid – will benefit from fewer duplicative or unnecessary medical tests, reduced medical errors, and better care of chronic illnesses."

The automation of healthcare has to be a good thing so long as it is secure and user-focused. To arrive at a situation where the user, in this case a small physician practice, does not see a clear ROI clearly is wrong. In the UK we have similar healthcare initiatives that are conceptually sound but are poorly implemented. Whether the users are office workers, physicians and patients, IT solutions need to be developed with the user in mind. Thus avoiding the political conflict that tarnishes the initial vision.

Read Paul’s complete post Healthcare IT: Saving Lives, Saving Money