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Consider This...Healthcare Observations by Ralph P. Fargnoli, Jr.
2/20/09
Incentives - Bribery in Disguise?
We all know that change can be good. But for some it's not always easy, and that's why sometimes a little prodding is required.
It's widely known that the healthcare industry will soon be on the receiving end of the government's economic stimulus package whereby billions of dollars will become available to healthcare organizations to accelerate the adoption of electronic health records.
Up until now, the issue (or rather excuse) for the lack of adoption was aligned equally with the federal government's lack of support. Now that it's here, the issue is, how do we encourage these healthcare organizations to make it happen efficiently and effectively, with the ultimate goal of improving overall patient care?
Apparently, it's through incentives. The stimulus package includes $17 billion in Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments for hospitals and physician practices who demonstrate meaningful use of electronic health records.
Hmmm, using this mentality, let's relate it to some everyday analogies:
- I will stop at the red light if you pay me to do so
- I will not buy anything at retail unless you give me a discount
- Since I show up every day for work, you should pay me more because of it
You know where I'm going with this. While I know changing over to a new EHR system will not be easy, it's somewhat interesting to me that we have to incentivize the very people, other than the patients themselves, who will benefit the most from implementing such change. Increased productivity and an improved revenue cycle, to name a few benefits, aren't enough?
If I gave my kids an "incentive" every time I wanted them to eat their vegetables when they were younger, I would have gone broke. "Adopting" vegetables into their daily diet happened because I insisted that it was an important part of their overall health. And I didn't pay them a cent.
If only the healthcare industry could have followed suit long before this.
Ralph P. Fargnoli, Jr.
Questions or comments, contact
ConsiderThis@BeaconPartners.com
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