Obama's talk with retirees highlights digital health records

July 29, 2009 | Bernie Monegain, Editor

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WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama told participants in an AARP tele-town hall Tuesday that electronic health records will help put an end to the inefficiencies they have experienced in healthcare.

"We're also working to computerize medical records, because right now too many folks wind up taking the same tests over and over and over again because their providers can't access previous results," he said at the session at AARP headquarters. "Or they have to relay their entire medical history – every medication they've taken, every surgery they've gotten – every time they see a new provider. Electronic medical records will help to put an end to all that."

Obama met at AARP headquarters in the nation's capital with AARP CEO A. Barry Rand, AARP President Jenny Chin Hansen, moderator and AARP radio host Mike Cuthbert and an audience of about 60 retirees. He took questions from the audience, as well as from telephone calls and e-mails.

In a statement, Rand posted on the AARP site earlier this month, he said: "All Americans should have affordable healthcare choices. But our current healthcare system costs too much, wastes too much, makes too many mistakes and gives us back too little value for our money."

He spoke about ending billion-dollar subsidies to insurance companies for Medicare Advantage, using nurse practitioners for home healthcare follow-up visits after hospitalizations, proving incentives for physicians to work as a team, creating a healthcare exchange for affordable coverage, including a public option and paying for improvements with greater efficiencies.

In response to a question about negative ads that emphasize the cost of healthcare reform and the high cost of automating the system, Obama acknowledged the upfront costs and mentioned his recent visit to the Cleveland Clinic.

"In order for us to save money, in some cases, we've got to spend some money up front," he said. "Let me give you some very specific examples. Healthcare IT: Healthcare is the only area where you still have to fill out five different forms – when you go into a bank you don't have to do that. You've got an ATM. If you use your credit card, they'll find you real quick and the billing is real easy – right? But if for some reason you want healthcare, you fill out pencil and paper – I guess they Xerox it – they give it to somebody else. Sometimes you see their files and it's all stuffed with papers, and nurses can't read the doctor's handwriting."

"So for us to set up a system like they have at the Cleveland Clinic that I just visited in Ohio, where every medical record – your privacy is protected, but everything is digitalized," he added. "Everything – the minute you take a test, it goes to all the doctors and all the specialists that you might end up dealing with. So you end up just having that one test instead of having to then go back to the doctor again and again and again and have a bunch of different tests. Well, that saves money, but you've got to get the computer equipment in the first place to do it. So in some cases we've got to spend some money on the front end."

Reader Comments (5)Login to Post a Comment

TomMariner says: Electronic Health Records

August 03, 2009 | 6:20AM GMT

I am pleased that our President understands that the Electronic Medical Records are important enough that it (fairly) represents the work his Administration is doing. I could not agree more that the computerization of our records will do more for great medicine and for cost reduction than anything else that we can do.

Unfortunately EMR stimulus and standards work was started under the ARRA which was approved in February and has not much to do with the "Healthcare" bill now before Congress. And will continue whether the bill becomes law or not.

wires says: Healthcare Reform

July 30, 2009 | 9:04AM GMT

Great article in the Washington Examiner today that pretty well wraps up what the real members of AARP feel about the situation. This is AWEFUL and will probably be the #1 health problem of the future.

All that said, I dont think there are many people who disagree with the concept of Electronic Health Records as being the next big thing that will contribute to quality care, reduction due to malpractice costs, and increased quality of life through the health care experience for patients.

This needs separated from the bigger problem of government control of that record and subsequent rationing of health care (depending upon your percieved value to mankind)

loriw says: electronic medical records

July 29, 2009 | 1:59PM GMT

Electronic medical records can and do save lives. More than clarifying doctor's orders, they eliminate the potential for unnecessary repeat testing, which in themselves can cause secondary infections or other problems. They enable multiple doctors to talk to one another and work as a team for the patient. And they can even potentially prevent the need for serious intervention, like dialysis. Kaiser in Honolulu has been conducting a study on this, with results published today showing significant quality of care improvements. Today, you can even create your own personal health record with Microsoft HealthVault or Google Health. Technological advancement is good. Will they immediately save the healthcare system millions? That will remain to be determined. But will they improve outcomes and save lives? Yes.

wires says: Health Care for AARP Members

July 29, 2009 | 12:37PM GMT

Absolutely do not agree. Everyone I know has been trying to get this message to AARP. As a member, I would have liked someone to ask what the membership thinks. Despite repeated calls from everyone I know to to AARP, deaf ear. My only alternative is then to drop membership like others are forced to do in order to show that this is NOT what we feel AARP should be doing and is on the wrong track.
Everyone is for affordable health care but this is just a Trojan horse. Wait until the elderly have to stand in line and be denied, just like all the other single payer programs around the world in the line of reducing health care costs.

1168403 says: AARP and the President

July 29, 2009 | 11:49AM GMT

Believe it or not, Mr. Obama is 1000% correct. One must spend money to make or save money.
The system we have in place now is ancient, defunct and causes more harm than good. When the nurse can't read the doctor's handwriting she ASSUMES that she knows what he wants, and takes it on her own to treat the patient. More often than not she is 100% wrong and all this is due to the fact that she doesn't want to ask the doctor what he wrote because she is afraid that he will think she can't do her job, and the patient suffers..
With Electronic Medical Records, there is no handwriting to try to understand, heck, you can even have it show up on the screen in HUGE LETTERS so you can read it from across the room if you wanted to.
It is time to leave the 20th century behind and move on.. Your new car now has KEY LESS entry, voice commands and Blue tooth... if an inanimate object can jump into the 21st century why can't Health Care and man?
Your cell phone can now do more that call, it is a TV, a radio, a GPS, your contact to twitter, face book, etc: and yes it even makes a call too, but health care.. hell we are lucky if we can get an appointment with the doctor in this century, why because he can't read his own writing to find out when he has an opening...

For what it is worth, let's get behind the President, and move on. If we do nothing we lose, If we fight him on this we lose, if we lower our standards because of fear we lose, and AMERICANS ARE NOT LOSERS....