About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

40 Regulation 26 (2017-2018)
Should Government Subsidize and Regulate Electronic Health Records

handle is hein.journals/rcatorbg40 and id is 92 raw text is: 26 / Regulation / SUMMER 2017 HEALTH & MDCN SHOULD GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZE AND REGULATE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS? Current law may be locking in deficient technology. 94 BY MICHAEL L. MARLOW ealth information technology innova- tion focuses on electronic health records (EHRs), which can collect, store, and trans- mit health information within electronic health information exchanges. Exchanges enable doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other health care providers, and patients to gain access to and share medical information electronically in ways that potentially improve the speed, quality, and safety of patient care. The potential benefits ofEHRs are clear, given that the practice of medicine frequently relies on seemingly archaic methods of information delivery. These benefits, along with the perception that providers were too slow in adopting EHRs, motivated passage of the 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. That act authorized financial incentives of$30 billion to eligible hospitals and professionals through Medicare and Medicaid to adopt and meaningfully use certified EHR technology. Despite the laudable intent, government subsidies for EHR adoptions have locked in immature technology rather than spurred innovations that would otherwise have evolved over time. Lost opportunities for better patient care at lower expense are one major cost of the subsidy program. In place of the subsidies, government should adopt policies that are more likely to promote innovation that will improve public health. MICHAEL L. MARLOW is professor of economics at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. This article is condensed from his working paper, Should Government Subsidize Electronic Health Records? Mercatus Center at George Mason University, March 2017.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most