Doctors, hospitals lag in going digital with medical records, Sebelius says in KC
CERN | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Electronic medical records will transform the practice of medicine, but so far not many doctors or hospitals have gone digital, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday.
"We have a very long way to go in a very short time," Sebelius said at the Cerner Health Conference in Kansas City. Cerner is a health information technology company based in North Kansas City.
The national goal is to make electronic medical records available to everyone by 2013, Sebelius said. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes $35 billion in incentives for doctors and hospitals to adopt computerized records. Only about 10 percent of hospitals and 20 percent of doctors' offices are fully digitized now, Sebelius said.
Electronic records will improve the way we provide health care and how we pay for it, both essential components of health care reform, she said.
About one in five patients discharged from the hospital wind up hospitalized again within 30 days, often because they lack adequate follow-up care, she said. Computerization also will allow doctors to track their patients' progress more efficiently, she said.
Cerner is working with her agency on a national initiative to track the progress of swine flu by tapping information in the electronic medical records of medical centers that use the company's software. Cerner clients account for about 30 percent of all hospital beds.
The Flu Pandemic Initiative will provide public health officials with data on flu symptoms.
The initiative may provide the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with a new model for tracking diseases, Sebelius said.
To reach Alan Bavley, call 816-234-4858 or send e-mail to abavley@kcstar.com.
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