In my home state of Washington, we know that technology can revolutionize businesses and communities. We’ve seen it with Microsoft, with biofuels and at our research universities.
And those of us whose communities it has touched know that it is far past time that we use that same innovation to transform our nation’s healthcare system.
By expanding health information technology everywhere from bustling urban centers to rural America, we will see fewer medical errors, increased efficiency and healthier patients.
Health IT makes the best possible medical care much more accessible.
For example, a family in Alaska has a child suffering from a rare heart disorder. Normally, the child and family would have to travel to Seattle to receive care from specialists at Seattle’s Children’s Hospital. Through telehealth, the family could stay in Alaska and connect with the doctors electronically.
That’s why Congress needs to move forward with bipartisan legislation to integrate IT into our nation’s healthcare system.
One way to do this is by passing the Wired for Healthcare Quality Act (S.1418). This legislation, which has passed the Senate, will help move America’s healthcare system to an electronic records system. It would create national standards to ensure that patient records are available wherever they access care. These standards would also keep medical records private and secure.
Electronic records will help reduce medical errors, improve quality, reduce waste and duplication of services and allow for the collection of data to standardize treatment.
As the interaction between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs has illustrated, we need a federal standard to ensure that our health IT systems are interoperable. When soldiers come home and transition from Defense to the VA, the move should be seamless so that doctors can access a veteran’s health history and provide quality care with fewer delays, interruptions or mistakes.
The bill will also promote performance-based healthcare that rewards caregivers who offer efficient, quality service.
For example, Washington’s Medicare reimbursement rates are among the lowest in the nation. Instead of rewarding providers for keeping patients healthy or solving problems with fewer trips to the doctor, Medicare rewards the provision of services.
Hospitals and doctors in Washington and other states have suffered the economic consequences of this perverse structure. Low reimbursements have led some doctors no longer to see new Medicare patients, and still other doctors have left the state altogether.
We should be rewarding efficiency in our healthcare system, not punishing doctors and hospitals for getting the job done.
Part of the problem stems from Medicare’s complex funding system, which has historically penalized rural areas. Healthcare providers in rural states get less money from Medicare for the very same procedure performed in urban areas.
The Wired for Healthcare Quality Act would not only allow patients whose doctors have been forced to close shop to access quality healthcare remotely, but it actually rewards efficiency and quality in healthcare. And, in drafting the bill, we worked to ensure that rural providers receive the technical and financial support to invest in health IT systems.
At Inland Northwest Health Systems in Spokane, Wash., telepharmacy technology is being implemented to connect rural, remote sites with a hospital-based pharmacy and pharmacists to improve access and reduce errors.
Inland Northwest is also working to enact an electronic health-records database for most healthcare providers in eastern Washington. This would give providers real-time access to a patient’s complete health record, saving lives and promoting efficient care.
There is great potential for this technology. It could help coordinate care and disease management. It could help us develop best practices to improve clinical guidelines for treating patients.
This program also has the potential for translating research from the lab to the patient’s bedside much faster. Having real-time access to health information would also serve as an important tool in educating and empowering patients to be more involved in their own care. Many patients have little understanding of their own healthcare or even the choices their providers make relating to their healthcare.
The Wired for Healthcare Quality Act also ensures that patients have access to their own medical records. Better access will help patients become more informed consumers and more empowered to make decisions about their own healthcare.
Telehealth also provides doctors with specialized training without having to leave their communities. With innovative health IT, doctors can be trained in their own communities, making it easier for doctors and keeping professionals where they’re needed most.
Telehealth makes the best possible medical care much more accessible. Far too often in recent years, politics has trumped research, science and innovation. With this bill, we have a chance to move science and innovation forward. For our patients, their families and the future of our nation’s health, it is time to implement and fund health IT legislation.
Murray is a member of the health, appropriations and budget panels.
Source
No comments:
Post a Comment