Dr. Hal Scherz and Dr. Michael Koriwchak of Docs4PatientCare have a new TownHall OpEd, "The Health Information Technology Boondoggle".
When electronic medical record systems are selected by hospitals and physicians in response to clinical needs, based on free-market principles, they can be tremendously helpful in improving efficiency and patient care.
But when they are imposed by fiat by the government, they won't help doctors treat patients. It would be like the government telling you what kind of cellphone and data plan you must have, regardless of your actual needs.
But these health IT systems will help the government more closely track whether doctors are adhering to government practice guidelines.
Hence, they represent the next step in government control of American medicine.
The blog of Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine (FIRM)
