More than $36 billion in federal investments have been made in electronic health records with the goal of improving health care. As a result of these investments, the vast majority of hospitals and physicians practicing in the U.S. are now using health information technology. But is health IT working ideally for people? Are patients safer and are physicians more productive?
Ask anyone in the health care system and you’ll hear a mix of responses. Electronic health records are not without challenges — they can be cumbersome and lack the ability to connect with other forms of IT — yet numerous studies show that health IT reduces medication errors and improves quality of care. With that said, there are some instances in which health IT has the potential to create harm if not effectively developed, implemented or used. Despite the considerable activity within the federal government over the last several years, agreement on and execution of a coordinated strategy for promoting safety in the development, implementation and use of health IT has been absent, until now. The Bipartisan Policy Center released a roadmap for a strategic, coordinated effort to promote safety in health IT: Improving Information Technology’s Role in Providing Safer Care.
Multiple disciplines help set the agenda for health IT
Addressing both the complexities and opportunities for health IT to improve patient care requires input from experts in specific domains — and it should not be health care alone. The Bipartisan Policy Center recognized the advantage of bringing different disciplines together to develop a set of recommendations for a common path forward to address safety in health IT. With support from the foundation, the Bipartisan Policy Center convened health providers, software developers and vendors, patients, safety experts, and federal agency officials. The experts from the various fields explored the intersection of patient safety and IT, assessed progress, and made policy recommendations for implementing a health IT framework that both protects patient safety and promotes innovation. More information from the Bipartisan Policy Center can be found here: Patient Safety and Information Technology: Improving Information Technology's Role in Providing Safer Care.
Message sent
Thank you for sharing.