Maryland Discovers E-Health’s Potential

The following interesting article appeared last week.

Despite obstacles, state says potential of secure health care system is ‘enticing’

KAREN BUCKELEW

Daily Record Business Writer

January 28, 2008 6:57 PM

Imagine if a single electronic system linked every doctor’s office, pharmacy, hospital and insurer in the state, allowing them to share each Marylander’s health history in a secure, private environment, instantly.

It’s no more than a dream at the moment, but a recent report to state lawmakers details the barriers that stand in the way and suggests a universal approach to overcome them.

The findings of the Task Force to Study Electronic Health Systems, a 26-member group convened by the General Assembly in 2005, detail the financial, legal and logistical obstacles to creating such a system, and describe the benefits as “uncertain.”

But the potential to save money, time and improve the quality of care is enticing, the report found.

Maryland should find a way to make the technology affordable and ensure all the health industry players — from doctors to insurers — find it worthwhile to use, the task force said.

The report emphasizes that health technology is no panacea, said task force Chair Dr. Peter Basch, medical director for ambulatory clinical systems at MedStar Health, an eight-hospital health system based in Columbia.

“We wanted to be careful to avoid hyperbole [and] look at it in a very sober way, to create a report that would have lasting value,” Basch said.

The study analyzed issues including electronic health record keeping, e-prescribing and a health information exchange that could link all the disparate systems of the state’s health industry players.

Advocates of health information technology say it could cut costs by preventing duplicate medical testing or procedures and costly allergic reactions or drug interactions

But money is one of the key stumbling blocks. Small physician practices and independent pharmacies are reluctant to shoulder the cost, but hospitals and insurers are more willing, the study found.

Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.mddailyrecord.com/article.cfm?id=4165&type=UTTM

Read the full report (.pdf)

The review report runs over a hundred pages and the recommendations to the Governor and Government (who commissioned the report) are clear:

Recommendations

The recommendations outlined in this report address the requirements set forth in the enabling legislation. The recommendations also propose ways to increase the use of HIT in Maryland and can act as a resource for the Governor and General Assembly as they consider how to move HIT forward in the State. The Task Force recommends that the State of Maryland address the following:

Financial

Balance the relationship of HIT costs and benefits in each sector through a system of payments and subsidies;

Include HIT adoption in private payer Pay-for-Performance programs;

Identify incentives for e-prescribing; and

Identify funding sources for EHR-S adoption.

Technology

Encourage Physician implementation of EHR-S;

Encourage Hospital implementation of EHR-S and CPOE;

Develop statewide privacy and security policies for health information exchange;

Implement a statewide health information exchange; and

Allow market forces to drive consumer adoption of personal health records.

Legal / Regulatory

Modify existing statutes to resolve conflicts between statutes, and develop new legislation where necessary.

HIT / HIE Consumer Education

Develop a statewide outreach and education program;

School Health Records

Resolve differences between State privacy and security laws, HIPAA, and FERPA; and

Encourage EHR-S adoption in school-based health centers.

End Recommendations.

This really is a thoughtful review of the current pressures and state of play in the USA. Well worth a careful browse for all those interested in an up-to-date view of all this!

David.