The excellent health policy journal Health Affairs has a great policy of making some fascinating content available for no cost for a period of a week or two.
Late last week they published a series of three must not miss articles on Health IT.
The articles are found here:
19 August 2008
Health Information Technology: A Few Years Of Magical Thinking?
Carol C. Diamond and Clay Shirky, August 19, 2008
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Abstract
One of the biggest obstacles to expanding the use of information technology (IT) in health care may be the current narrow focus on how to stimulate its adoption. The challenge of thinking of IT as a tool to improve quality requires serious attention to transforming the U.S. health care system as a whole, rather than simply computerizing the current setup. Proponents of health IT must resist "magical thinking," such as the notion that technology will transform our broken system, absent integrated work on policy or incentives. The alternative route to transforming the system sets all of its sights on the destination. [Health Affairs 27, no. 5 (2008): w383-w390 (published online 19 August 2008; 10.1377/hlthaff.27.5.w383)]
Health Information Technology: Strategic Initiatives, Real Progress
Robert M. Kolodner, Simon P. Cohn, and Charles P. Friedman, August 19, 2008
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Abstract
We fully agree with Carol Diamond and Clay Shirky that deployment of health information technology (IT) is necessary but not sufficient for transforming U.S. health care. However, the recent work to advance health IT is far from an exercise in "magical thinking." It has been strategic thinking. To illustrate this, we highlight recent initiatives and progress under four focus areas: adoption, governance, privacy and security, and interoperability. In addition, solutions exist for health IT to advance rapidly without adversely affecting future policy choices. A broad national consensus is emerging in support of advancing health IT to enable the transformation of health and care. [Health Affairs 27, no. 5 (2008): w391-w395 (published online 19 August 2008; 10.1377/hlthaff.27.5.w391)]
The Alternative Route: Hanging Out The Unmentionables For Better Decision Making In Health Information Technology
David C. Kibbe and Curtis P. McLaughlin, August 19, 2008
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Abstract
Expert panels and policy analysts have often ignored potential contributions to health information technology (IT) from the Internet and Web-based applications. Perhaps they are among the "unmentionables" of health IT. Ignoring those unmentionables and relying on established industry experts has left us with a standards process that is complex and burdened by diverse goals, easy for entrenched interests to dominate, and reluctant to deal with potentially disruptive technologies. We need a health IT planning process that is more dynamic in its technological forecasting and inclusive of IT experts from outside the industry. [Health Affairs 27, no. 5 (2008): w396-w398 (published online 19 August 2008; 10.1377/hlthaff.27.5.w396)]
There are also some major blog contributions from some insightful commentators. They are found here:
Health Affairs Blog posts on health IT by
All in all these six articles provide a very useful summary of the state of thinking about how short term progress can be made in Health IT and what is getting in the way of that progress in the USA.
Get in quickly and download all these articles – you won’t be sorry you did!
David.
2 comments:
Great, thanks for the links!
Through practical experience I would say that it is not so much "magical thinking" as "religous thinking". Many proponents have what can only be described as a blind faith in Health IT. To suggest there might be more to it than a gleaming EHR, an eDischarge system or a CIS, is heretical and will result in a metaphorical stoning. The priests of this religion are the IT savvy clinicians! Beware ye heretic.
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