Health IT Takes More HITs

Here are a couple of recent stories about health IT (HIT) problems at home and abroad.

This 9/29/2011 article reported on "Healthcare Breaches: A New Top 5":

With the announcement of a health information breach affecting 4.9 million patients in the Defense Department's TRICARE healthcare program, there have now been five incidents that have each affected at least 1 million individuals since the HIPAA breach notification rule took effect.

As more and more Americans' medical data is stored in the de facto mandatory electronic medical record systems under ObamaCare, we can expect more such privacy breaches in the future.

The 9/22/2011 Telegraph reported on the UK national electronic medical records system boondoggle, "Dismantling NHS computer scheme could cost more money".

Basically, the UK system has to be scrapped because it "was unworkable while costs had increases and deadlines were missed":

Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, said: "Labour's NHS IT Programme let down the NHS and wasted taxpayers' money by imposing a top-down IT system on the local NHS, which didn't fit their needs..."

Roger Goss, co-director of the pressure group Patient Concern said: "Thank goodness politicians have decided to stop money being poured into a huge bottomless pit.

"Now we must pray that they don't sanction pouring it into endless incompatible regional pits."

(Via Docs4PatientCare.)

Let's hope the US doesn't make the same mistake(s).