I'm usually not a fan of the stuff in the Huffington Post since it's--let's just say--a bit past center politically, but in my ongoing research on HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), I came across a first-person account of how HIPAA and other medical regulations afftect the delivery of health care in America.
This was a real eye-opener.
The author, Deane Waldman, is a pediatric cardiologist. In his article, he recounts some regulatory horror stories that help explain why health care delivery is such a mess in the U.S.
Let me just cite a couple of incidents:
Because of mandates by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals (JCOAH), Dr. Waldman must ask each patient if he or she smokes (and plans to quit) and whether he or she has suicidal thoughts. The irony here is that many of his patients are in diapers.
Another instance involved a letter he received mandating that he attend a training session on Part D of Medicare even though, again, his patients have nothing to do with Part D. At stake, should be not complete the training, was the accreditation of the entire hospital, or at the very least fines and/or sanctions.
Read "The Bane of My Existence: Come With Me to Work" for further horror stories.
Now, Dr. Waldman is one guy who can truly subscribe to my motto, "Get off my back."
Showing posts with label HIPAA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HIPAA. Show all posts
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Health IT Funds Included in Bailout Package
The latest version of the economic stimulus legislation includes 187 pages called the Health IT for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, with $20 billion in funding to implement a nationwide system of electronic health records (EHRs).
This is something that President Obama spoke of frequently during his campaign, and now it appears to be coming into fruition.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) envisions that, within a decade, some 90 percent of physicians and 70 percent of hospitals and other providers will become electrified (that word doesn't quite work, does it?) as a result of HITECH. In other words, they will be using electronic health records (EHRs).
HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, comes into play here, but when HIPAA was written, no one was really envisioning a nationwide data base of health records available online. However, here it all comes.
The law also creates an Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to oversee matters and enforce rules.
Finally, the law comes with a stick as well as a $20-billion carrot. At some point in the future, those who choose not to go electronic will get docked in their Medicare and Medicaid payments.
Ouch. That'll teach 'em.
This is something that President Obama spoke of frequently during his campaign, and now it appears to be coming into fruition.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) envisions that, within a decade, some 90 percent of physicians and 70 percent of hospitals and other providers will become electrified (that word doesn't quite work, does it?) as a result of HITECH. In other words, they will be using electronic health records (EHRs).
HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, comes into play here, but when HIPAA was written, no one was really envisioning a nationwide data base of health records available online. However, here it all comes.
The law also creates an Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to oversee matters and enforce rules.
Finally, the law comes with a stick as well as a $20-billion carrot. At some point in the future, those who choose not to go electronic will get docked in their Medicare and Medicaid payments.
Ouch. That'll teach 'em.
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