re: What if the change train has no passengers? Getting the word out on NHIN, RHIO's and EMRs

Malay Gandhi — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 23:04:59 GMT

David Brailer's name will be known by everyone in the health care community when he fulfills his vision for national health information infrastructure, has a set of certification standards for EHRs, and provides funds or incentives for doctors to deploy and implement EHR solutions. That vision is many years away, but it is an important one.

I think that the low-cost answer (at least for providers who are part of small practices) will lie in web-delivered services with secure electronic medical records stored on off-site central servers. Having a web-based EHR would allow for minimal up-front hardware/software costs and access from anywhere in the world, to both the patient and the physician. With web technology such as Ajax progressing rapidly, a web-based EHR could be as functional as any other application.

Web-based EHRs would also allow for full web portals to be built around them, including scheduling and health information. Additionally, a web-based system would support outsourcing of revenue cycle related headaches that keep doctors from focusing on their patients.

These services could be based on per patient per month subscription costs and would decrease the burden of large up-front software/hardware costs. It would also fit into the pay-for-performance initiatives.

What do you think? Get back to me at malaygandhi@hotmail.com