http://technoccult.net/archives/2008/08/03/the-black-hole-in-the-cost-of-healthcare-pt-2-computerized-healthcare/ A General Interest Blog for Weirdos Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:02:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 http://technoccult.net/archives/2008/08/03/the-black-hole-in-the-cost-of-healthcare-pt-2-computerized-healthcare/comment-page-1/#comment-163897 Bill Whitcomb Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:59:39 +0000 http://www.technoccult.com/?p=3561#comment-163897 It's a mistake to think of the healthcare industry as monolithic, at least in this respect. While the same standards apply across the board (HIPAA and CFR 21 Part 11), there is no uniformity of application. Where your records are going is problematic, but the fact that most institutions CAN'T share your records electronically is just as bad or even part of the first problem. Lack of an overall system makes it both difficult to share records and difficult to control where they go. That ONE guy was able to do this in the cancer registry shows how screwed up it all is -- with better connectivity, this couldn't have happened because the records wouldn't have matched up with other databases. It's a hard problem though --- how do you protect the records while getting them to the people (like your doctors) who really need them. If anyone wants to discuss this further, get in touch. ...and, yes, I work in the industry, though my niche is...um...only mildly evil. It’s a mistake to think of the healthcare industry as monolithic, at least in this respect. While the same standards apply across the board (HIPAA and CFR 21 Part 11), there is no uniformity of application. Where your records are going is problematic, but the fact that most institutions CAN’T share your records electronically is just as bad or even part of the first problem. Lack of an overall system makes it both difficult to share records and difficult to control where they go. That ONE guy was able to do this in the cancer registry shows how screwed up it all is — with better connectivity, this couldn’t have happened because the records wouldn’t have matched up with other databases. It’s a hard problem though — how do you protect the records while getting them to the people (like your doctors) who really need them. If anyone wants to discuss this further, get in touch. …and, yes, I work in the industry, though my niche is…um…only mildly evil.

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