Technology Reform Proposal 1

Health Care Reform Proposal 1
We believe that the impact technology has on the quality of medical care received by Americans is significant enough for Congress to consider while passing new legislation. Technology provides new procedures that provide better diagnosis, quicker cures, and an overall increase in efficiency and precision in the medical field. This new legislation should provide the right amount of emphasis on the importance of technology within the field of medicine. We believe that if Congress does this successfully, the quality of care will continue to increase, costs of care will decrease, and accessing medical care information will become more efficient between providers. Our first proposal suggests that Congress pass new legislation that reforms the malpractice system and implements electronic records for all health care settings.
It is fair to say that most health care providers go through their work day thinking about how to protect themselves from lawsuits. To avoid such situations, providers practice defensive medicine. One example of defensive medicine that pertains to our topic of technology is the overuse of unnecessary diagnostic tests. Performing tests such as MRI’s, CT scans, and PET scans are just a few examples of some technological procedures that could have been otherwise avoided in some diagnostic cases. However, because the provider was afraid of a malpractice lawsuit, the tests were ordered anyways and the costs of care just increased significantly.
In the case of defensive medicine, technology has the ability to hurt the cost and quality of health care. We believe that to turn this situation around, Congress should lower the cost of premiums for malpractice insurance and put strict caps on the cost of damages received by patients, so the amount of damage actually done is compensated for appropriately. According to the Wall Street Journal, if defensive medicine was eliminated, the United States could save 200 billion in health care costs annually. This money saved could help instead of hurt the health care system by using it for useful clinical trials and medical research.
The second part of our proposal is for Congress to implement paperless medical records. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) defines health information technology as “ the use of computers and computer programs to store, protect, retrieve, and transfer clinical, administrative, and financial information electronically within and between health care providers.” We believe that electronic records will improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of our health care system. We also believe that it will provide more privacy and safety with patient’s health care records. To achieve this, Congress must pass legislation that allows the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to coordinate health information technology programs across the United States. So far, ONC has not had the proper authority to coordinate such activities because it has not yet been codified into law. However, if passed into legislation, using electronic medical records could save the United Sates $81 billion each year.
Another important issue we propose Congress address is electronic processing of payments and claims. According to the HIMSS, 60% of all claims payments are paper-based and the health care system consumes more than 15% of its total expenditures on processing payments. Also, it costs approximately eight dollars per item for paper-based claims and this high cost of transmitting paper-based claims could easily be exempt through a revised legislation. If we increase the rate of electronic payment of claims to 90%, the United States could save around six billion dollars.
Overall, this health reform proposal aims at decreasing the two trillion dollars spent on health care last year by using the benefits of technology, and using them wisely. Congress can achieve this by implementing a reform on the malpractice system and give the ONC the authority to coordinate electronic health care records and payment systems. According to the Wall Street Journal, 83% of Americans agree with our proposed plan that Congress needs to change the medical malpractice system. A compromise needs to be made within the system of our government to reform malpractice in a way that will help, not hurt, the health care quality and costs of Americans. Lastly, putting into practice an electronic medical records and payment system will not only make it easier for employers to handle, but it will be more efficient and decrease the costs of health care.

-Andrea Hartley

References:

1. Shi, Leiyu, and Douglas A. Singh. Delivering Health Care in America A Systems Approach. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett, 2007. Print.

2. Howard K., Philip. Why Medical Practice is Off Limits. Wall Street Journal, October 15, 2009. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204488304574432853190155972.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

3. HIMSS. Enabling Healthcare Reform Using Information Technology. Arlington, Virginia. December, 2008. www.himss.org/2009calltoaction/HIMSSCallToActionDec2008.pdf

4. Medpac. Report to the Congress: New Approaches in Medicare. Information Technology in Health Care. June, 2004. http://www.medpac.gov/publications%5Ccongressional_reports%5CJune04_ch7.pdf

5. Kaiser. CBO: Medical Malpractice Reform Would Save $54 Billion Over 10 Years. Kaiser Health News. October, 2009. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/October/09/Tort-Reform.aspx