Healthcare’s Glacial Journey
I recently attended the HIMSS09 Healthcare conference in Chicago. Most of you know that Healthcare is receiving almost $20 Billion in incentives from the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). To claim that stimulus, participants must demonstrate the mostly undefined “Meaningful Use” criteria.
Can We Afford Point Solutions?
The Vendor interest at HIMSS09 was apparent, however the physician reaction to the stimulus is lukewarm at best. A first year payment of $18K in 2011 or 2012 to the physician practice is hardly an economic incentive to deploy a point solution that is unlikely to integrate with anything else.
Speaking with CIOs after the CIO Forum in Chicago, the overall view expressed was one of apathy towards the stimulus changing priorities within their organizations. Some spoke candidly that the stimulus will not affect the current IT initiatives already underway in their organizations. Others wondered if their organizations would be able to avoid the penalty phase of the ARRA.
What Problem Are We Trying To Solve?
Clearly, we’re not trying to fix healthcare with these incentive payments. In fact some view that this program will worsen the healthcare crisis. Absent from HIMSS09 were discussions about a revolution in healthcare with more of the same glacial progress expected in the coming years.
Does Healthcare’s Journey Continue Glacially Down The Same Path?
What do you think? Is the inertia so great that healthcare will not be able to overcome its own coefficient of drag?
