27
February
2006
RFID - I have to write one more observation about HIMSS06. There were alot RFID companies there. I have been following RFID for a few years now and I was surprised to see so many new companies with RFID solutions. If you haven’t been initiated yet, here is a brief description. Basically, the hospital tags its equipment (and people too) with RFID chips and then sensors placed throughout the facility “ping” the tags and locate the tagged object. While RFID was developed for tracking inventory, hospitals can use the technology to locate medical equipment, patients, and staff.
I really believe that this technology can lower costs and help to re-imagine the care process. All of the RFID companies have ROI analyses that show how much hospitals save from improved utilization of assets. As with a number of other technologies, I am not sure if an ROI can really capture the total value of its use. I see a great value in giving front-line healthcare providers the ability to quickly access the location of the tools they need to do their job…and in some cases, the patients they need to do their job on. RFID is one of those technologies that can actually change the care delivery processes. Instead of searching for an IV pump or wheelchair, a nurse or aide can just look it up. The time that was once wasted with manual searching can be replaced with activities that actually add value to the patient. Further, I imagine that front-line healthcare workers will feel more confident about the care that they can provide with this information at their finger tips.
As I mentioned, I have been watching this technology develop in healthcare for a number of years and it seems to be catching on. Nonetheless, RFID is still in its infancy stages in healthcare, but I was encouraged recently by the news that Eclypsis and PanGo were joining forces to integrate RFID into a clinical information system (EMR). This is an exciting partnership and it very well could be the future for hospitals. So look for RFID coming to a hospital near you.
Posted: Healthcare and Technology
20
February
2006
Medicare Part D - Even before the program was up and running, I heard rants about Medicare’s prescription drug plan. Critics claimed that the plan is too confusing, that it wouldn’t save seniors any money, and that it would actually make people worse off. I always suspected that these claims were premature and, finally, there is an economist (i.e. - someone smarter than me) that agrees. Geoffrey Joyce, of the RAND Corporation, says that it is too early to pronounce Part D DOA in his commentary, entitled “A Simple Rx for Part D“. Mr. Joyce even gives seniors some advice on enrolling and selecting a plan. Truly, it will be at least a year before we can know the effectiveness of Part D. So if you hear criticisms before then, I would be skeptical.
Speaking of RAND…I did receive a comment last week on my recent post about HSAs. The commenter, Lag2, asks if I had ever heard of the RAND study on health insurance, which shows that consumers reduce both appropriate and inappropriate care when they have increased cost sharing. In the spirit of dialogue, I would like to respond to Lag2’s comment.
I have heard of the RAND study, though I recall it being some time ago. If I am wrong on that, please let me know. Regardless, my claim in the post is that HSAs are such a radical new product in the insurance marketplace that we can’t assume how individual’s will respond. Though I don’t remember the details of the RAND study, my assumption is that the experimental groups had higher co-pays. That is not the whole story with HSAs. Along with a greater “out of pocket” cost, HSAs offer a financial incentive for longer-term health management. That is a dynamic that has not been studied.
Posted: Fixing Healthcare
13
February
2006
Today was the first day of HIMSS and for the 5 people in healthcare who aren’t here in sunny San Diego at the conference, here are some pics from my Razor phone. The exhibition hall was incredible. There are hundreds of vendors, and the big ones, like Epic, spend major money on “booths”. Epic’s has a fireplace. A few, Like Eclipsys pictured here, even had a balcony with private meeting rooms. The award for best swag (that is vendor speak for little give aways) goes to Misys. They have a brand new Corvette with their name painted on it. How is that for advertising?
Posted: Random Thoughts, Healthcare and Technology
