Hospital’s struggle illustrates health IT woes
Filed under: Health data, Hospitals, Hot Health Headline
The University of California San Francisco Medical Center has written off more than a third of the $50 million it has spent on a system to digitize patients’ medical records, according to an article by AHCJ member Fred Schulte for the Huffington Post Investigative Fund and American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop.
The hospital started the project more than five years ago but after “persistent technical headaches,” it is has terminated the contractor and will start over on part of the project.
The costly setback pointedly illustrates the challenges health professionals face trying to meet a government mandate to bring American medicine into the computer age.
Doctors and technology analysts are less than enthusiastic about products now available. “Early reports from some American and European hospitals, they say, suggest that some technology may prove unreliable and could even pose safety problems for patients.”
While critics are concerned about patient safetly, U.S. manufacturers say no injuries or deaths can be attributed to software failure. However, as Schulte points out, “companies manufacturing health information technology systems are under no obligation to report injuries resulting from software malfunctions to the government.”
Schulte then cites a number of examples that point to failures or problems with software systems.
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HHS blog intended as forum about health IT
Filed under: Government, Health care reform, Health data
The first post on the new Health IT Buzz blog has generated more than 50 comments since it was posted Monday. The blog was launched by David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P., the national coordinator for health information technology in the Department of Health & Human Services.
A press release about the blog says it will “allow readers to learn more about health information technology (health IT) and provide a space for consumers, providers, policymakers, and technology experts to share their ideas and concerns regarding health IT.”
That first post emphasizes listening and says it will be a forum for engagement, inviting a wide range of stakeholder to discuss ideas and concerns about electronic health records.
The second post discusses the $80 million in Recovery Act money that will go toward training health IT professionals, saying that it will use community colleges to offer the education resources.
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Health Journalism 2010, AHCJ's annual conference, features a world-class program with story ideas, sources, stronger reporting skills, chances to meet newsmakers and network with other journalists.
- Health and education: Covering these intersecting beats
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- Health reporting resources for journalists on state and local government beats
- Shortened Lives: How location, lifestyle affect health
- Covering a complex story for the long haul
- Aging in the 21st Century: Presentations and tip sheets
- AHCJ calls for better information from Joint Commission Web site
