Consumers are demanding the same levels of convenience and control from health care that they get in every other aspect of their lives. Physicians are seeking ways to increase efficiency so they can spend more time on patient care. And, government is embracing the promise of health information technology to reduce costs and increase quality.
For their part, policy makers are providing financial incentives for doctors to adopt health IT. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act enacted last year, Congress and the president provided funding to help doctors and hospitals across the country transition to electronic health records, with up to $44,000 (over five years) for physician practices and $16 million (over four years) for hospitals.
For many doctors – particularly those in smaller medical practices – adoption of new technologies, such as electronic health records, comes with some drawbacks and even risks. A 2009 study by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) found that among health care providers, 59 percent were excited about the prospect of telemedicine, and 79 percent were interested in portable tablet PCs for point-of-patient care. However, we have also observed that physicians are frustrated by the different electronic systems and multitude of software updates. Above all, they are concerned about information security, particularly security for patient information.
One challenge is that IT support is seemingly not as readily accessible in a smaller environment as at larger hospital settings or medical institutions. Without reliable, knowledgeable and entrepreneurial small IT companies as partners, these doctors may find themselves on an uncharted path to adopting health IT solutions.
That’s one of the topics that CompTIA addressed at this past week’s Breakaway conference in San Antonio. We hosted health care education tracks for the 1,000-plus attendees representing small and medium-sized IT companies.
It is precisely these IT channel companies – the small vendors, service providers and distribution partners that bring IT products and services to market – that will lead the health information technology revolution that is underway today.
But there is still more to be done. Congress is considering legislation that would create a $30 billion government fund to help community banks increase lending to small businesses. CompTIA and many small businesses across the country support this effort – but we have another suggestion: designate a portion of that money to create a direct lending program enabling the government to make loans to small businesses that provide health IT services and systems to eligible medical professionals.
This program would provide small- and medium-sized technology companies direct access to capital to train or hire new employees or invest in other improvements to service the health IT market, thereby promoting national health IT adoption among small medical practitioners.
Transitioning to electronic health records is a challenge of great complexity. But the potential reward is significant – healthier outcomes, greater economic efficiencies, more secure patient information and job creation through innovation. Targeted and direct lending to support small IT companies, coupled with education and training, can mean the difference between a transition to health IT that is fragmented and reserved for only the largest players and one that is comprehensive and helps doctors and patients from all parts of the country recognize the 21st century benefits of health IT.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Todd Thibodeaux
Quelle/Source: San Antonio Express, 13.08.2010
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