Cost of Obama E-health Plan Could Reach $100B

摘要

A national electronic health records (EHR) system remains a first-term priority for President Barack Obama, but its price tag may far exceed current estimates, according to some health care experts. Backers assert that EHR systems will improve care while significantly cutting overall health care costs. David Brailer, chairman of Health Evolution Partners, said a fully functioning national EHR could decrease US health care costs by between $200 billion and $300 billion annually by cutting down on duplicate records, reducing record-keeping errors, avoiding fraudulent claims and better coordinating health care among providers. Meanwhile, the ONC has had some success in getting state and local governments to support the creation of regional health information organizations, which are designed to bring together health care organizations in defined areas and control their exchange of information. Massachusetts is one of 30 states that have introduced or passed legislation calling for the statewide adoption of standardized health IT systems.