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Upgrading Health-Care Technology Would Save Many Lives, Much Money

Posted on: Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 21:00 CDT

Sen. Obama is wrapping up his first six months as the junior senator from Illinois.

Over the last few decades, tremendous advances in science and technology have led us to a moment of unparalleled promise in health and medicine. Today, cures and treatments that were once barely imagined are now imminently possible.

And yet, while some of the biggest potential breakthroughs continue to lie just around the corner, our ability to solve one of our biggest medical challenges still seems far away. Today, the greatest single threat to the health of our nation is not a scarcity of genius or a failure of discovery; it is our inability, after years of talk and gridlock, to finally do something about the crushing cost of health care.

A new study tells us that the United States spends more on health care per person than any country in the world - and yet we're not getting more health care for all that extra money. Forty- five million Americans are uninsured, and health-care costs are increasing at almost double-digit rates. And millions of Americans are suffering from diseases such as diabetes or AIDS that could have been prevented or delayed with the proper care.

These health care issues are as complex as are the solutions. But one way we can start cutting costs is by bringing the health- care system into the 21st century. In our lifetimes, we've seen some of the greatest advances in the history of technology and the sharing of information. Yet, in our health-care system, too much care is still provided with pen and paper. Too much information about patients isn't shared between doctors or readily available to them in the first place.

Mistakes are easily made - medical errors alone kill up to 98,000 people a year, more people than the number who die from AIDS each year.

But embracing 21st century technology is not just about reducing errors and improving the quality of medical care. It's also about cost.

We spend nearly $1.5 trillion a year on health care in America. But one out of every four dollars is spent on non-medical costs, like bills and paperwork. Bank transactions now cost them less than a penny. Yet, because we haven't updated technology, health-care transactions still cost up to twenty-five dollars.

That's why I'm pleased to join Republican and Democratic senators in introducing the Wired for Health Care Quality Act of 2005.

This legislation will help bring down costs, improve quality, and bring the health-care system into the 21st century. It establishes a National Coordinator for Information Technology to help promote the use of health technology all across the nation. It would make sure that no matter where a patient is treated, information can be shared by doctors to make sure the right care is given. It provides support and funding to help hospitals buy and put these IT systems into place. Finally, it makes sure that doctors are using these systems to actively measure, monitor and improve the quality of care Americans receive.

It is estimated we would save $140 billion per year from this use of technology in our health-care system, a savings that could be passed along to families to cut the cost of an insurance policy by more than $700.

But this will not only cut costs, it could save thousands of lives. Just imagine if every doctor could sit by a patient's bedside with a laptop and pull up their entire medical history with the click of a mouse.

We know all of this possible - so what are we waiting for? It's time for this country to start taking on the big challenges again - and it doesn't get bigger than ensuring that every American finally has access to health care they can afford. It won't be easy or come quickly, but taking steps to bring our health-care system into the 21st century is a great place to start.

Source: Daily Herald; Arlington Heights, Ill.

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