Reflect on Conflict

An interesting new study from Harvard University--- Health IT Report: Coordinating Patient Care Takes Back Seat to Processing Claims:

"Understanding exactly who benefits from electronic health records, and how much, is at the heart of a debate between health care providers and health care payers.
Clinicians say they are pressured to purchase expensive systems that primarily benefit payers.
Payers don't want to help physicians purchase systems that will help provide care to competitors' clients. "

There is money to be saved on every front here. An important reason for electronic records is that somewhere along the line there is money to be saved, in labor costs, in liability, and in other efficiencies. The sad thing for clinicians is that the payers have a bigger stick, and are farther removed from the patient. The middle ground here is probably not going to be in the middle.