Speaking on a panel of I.T. experts in Chicago last week, the head of the member organization noted that diagnostic medical imaging companies led the way in standards-based data sharing. "Companies must compete on a different level than the uniqueness of their products," he said.
Another panelist representing physician software vendor AllscriptsMisys Healthcare Solutions Inc. went a step further. Noting the importance of destroying information silos, Chief Marketing Officer Dan Michelson urged physician group buyers to "contractually obligate" their vendors to provide systems that can easily swap data with other vendors.
In other discussion areas, panelists agreed that the federal government--given its huge stake in the health care industry--has a role to play in financially supporting I.T. adoption to help hold down costs and improve quality. At the same time, they acknowledged that those dollars will be hard to come by, given the looming Medicare deficits and other pressures on federal spending in the wake of the financial industry bail-out. Small physician groups, in particular, need financial help in implementing I.T. systems, Lieber said.
For many groups, however, the EHR is increasingly being seen as an integral part of the cost of the doing business, Michelson added. The technology opens the doors to many revenue-enhancing opportunities, including pay-for-performance bonuses, e-prescribing incentives from Medicare, and clinical trial participation.
The panel was convened by I.T. consulting group Beacon Partners Inc., Weymouth, Mass.
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