Rep. Ellmers requests HHS study health IT, medical errors
Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) recently sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, requesting that HHS study the benefits of health IT and its cost effectiveness, with a focus on medical error rates.
Ellmers, chair of the Small Business Subcommittee on Healthcare and Technology, held a hearing in June during which “physicians testified that the cost to purchase and maintain a health IT system, in addition to staff training and downtime during the transition to health IT, are significant burdens for small practices,” she wrote to Sebelius. “These barriers were mentioned even by physicians who believe health IT would ultimately benefit their practices. Providers at the hearing also stated concerns about the Medicare reimbursement penalties that will be assessed against providers who do not demonstrate ‘meaningful use of health IT by 2015.’”
One of the frequently mentioned benefits of health IT has been a reduction in medical errors.
However, Ellmers cited recent news coverage of incidents of health IT errors. “An article in Sunday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cited a baby who was killed when computerized IV equipment prepared a lethal dose of an intravenous sodium chloride solution. The machine did not catch the pharmacy technician's error. The article also noted that when a hepatitis C-positive kidney was accidentally transplanted from a live donor into a recipient, the physician team missed the electronic records alert, and the physicians complained that their electronic records system is cumbersome and difficult to adjust to any one physician's needs.
“The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published a study of almost 4,000 computer-generated prescriptions that were received by a pharmacy chain. The report found that 12 percent of the prescriptions contained errors, which, the report said, is consistent with error rates with handwritten prescriptions,” Ellmers wrote.
The Representative noted “a modern, well-equipped office is critical to the practice of medicine, and health IT offers promise to all medical professionals. Health IT has the potential to improve healthcare delivery, decrease medical errors, increase clinical and administrative efficiency, and reduce paperwork.”
She concluded, “As technology rapidly evolves, I ask that you consider a study of health IT's adoption, benefits and cost effectiveness. As part of the study, I hope you will also consider medical error rates—both human and technological—so that all errors can be better assessed and prevented.”
Ellmers, chair of the Small Business Subcommittee on Healthcare and Technology, held a hearing in June during which “physicians testified that the cost to purchase and maintain a health IT system, in addition to staff training and downtime during the transition to health IT, are significant burdens for small practices,” she wrote to Sebelius. “These barriers were mentioned even by physicians who believe health IT would ultimately benefit their practices. Providers at the hearing also stated concerns about the Medicare reimbursement penalties that will be assessed against providers who do not demonstrate ‘meaningful use of health IT by 2015.’”
One of the frequently mentioned benefits of health IT has been a reduction in medical errors.
However, Ellmers cited recent news coverage of incidents of health IT errors. “An article in Sunday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cited a baby who was killed when computerized IV equipment prepared a lethal dose of an intravenous sodium chloride solution. The machine did not catch the pharmacy technician's error. The article also noted that when a hepatitis C-positive kidney was accidentally transplanted from a live donor into a recipient, the physician team missed the electronic records alert, and the physicians complained that their electronic records system is cumbersome and difficult to adjust to any one physician's needs.
“The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published a study of almost 4,000 computer-generated prescriptions that were received by a pharmacy chain. The report found that 12 percent of the prescriptions contained errors, which, the report said, is consistent with error rates with handwritten prescriptions,” Ellmers wrote.
The Representative noted “a modern, well-equipped office is critical to the practice of medicine, and health IT offers promise to all medical professionals. Health IT has the potential to improve healthcare delivery, decrease medical errors, increase clinical and administrative efficiency, and reduce paperwork.”
She concluded, “As technology rapidly evolves, I ask that you consider a study of health IT's adoption, benefits and cost effectiveness. As part of the study, I hope you will also consider medical error rates—both human and technological—so that all errors can be better assessed and prevented.”