Some studies show that information technology cuts costs and improves healthcare in medical groups with hundreds or thousands of doctors. But most American doctors practice in groups of just ten or less, and they can't afford it. There's $19 billion of stimulus money to help doctors make the necessary investments, but are the benefits worth the risks? It can cause errors and spread them to many patients at once. It can also depersonalize the doctor-patient relationship, and even supporters concede that privacy issues have not been resolved. We hear doctors disagree on a major element of the President's healthcare reform.
Healthcare and Information Technology
Credits
Guests:
- Farzad Mostashari - Assistant Commissioner, New York City Health Department
- Stephen Soumerai - Director of the Drug Policy Research Program; Harvard Medical School
- Anne Armstrong-Coben - Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Columbia University
- Tom Sullivan - former President, Massachusetts Medical Society