HHS takes Hippocratic oath on health IT stimulus
By Mary Mosquera
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Health & Human Services Department will set up a panel of experts to
identify and fix any “potentially harmful unintended consequences” of its push
to get physicians and hospitals equipped with electronic health records over
the next several years.
In
announcing a contract to set up the group, HHS acknowledged the plan to offer
providers financial incentives to adopt health IT was meant to “enormously
improve the quality and efficiency of health.”
“But good
intentions are often not enough,” the notice said. “This contract honors the
ancient injunction to physicians, ‘First, do no harm.’”
Providers
are staring to consider how they will participate in the incentive programs set
up by HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) to accelerate adoption of
EHRs. The notice said it would be prudent for HHS to be on the lookout for
problems that might crop in carrying out the plan.
“While we
expect for these programs to help achieve the many desirable outcomes
envisioned by Congress,” the notice said, “a sense of responsibility for
activities we support, historical experience, as well as mounting evidence of
unexpected problems, demand that we consider potential downsides,” the notice
said.
HHS did
not provide any examples or details about risky outcomes, and acknowledged some
unforeseen results of the plan even could have a positive impact.
"By 'unintended consequences' we mean outcomes that are not intended, even though,
upon investigation and reflection, they are, at least in part, a natural
consequence of the activities. While some unintended consequences are
desirable, the purpose of this contract is to identify and address those that
are undesirable and potentially harmful."
Responses
to the notice, posted on the Federal Business Opportunities web site, are due
Feb. 26.
