Private clinics moving forward on health IT
Health Care Op-Ed
By: Diana M. Ernst
6.13.2007
Commentary
WASHINGTON - It’s not only hospitals and large companies that are jumping on this high-tech health bandwagon. Retail-based health clinics are also responding to price-conscious health care consumers by incorporating electronic health records into their systems. Health clinics are emerging as the cost-effective response to hospital emergency rooms. They cater to basic, routine health problems such as ear infections, flu and strep throat. Most, but not all, are staffed with nurse practitioners. The Convenient Care Association represents 18 health clinic companies and has a total of 300 clinics in 21 states throughout the U.S. CCA recently issued 10 mandatory quality and safety standards for its member companies, which include EHRs so that all patients have an opportunity to share health information with other providers electronically, or in paper format if they so choose. TelaDoc, MinuteClinic, RediClinic and Solantic are several health clinics that use EHRs, which allow nurse practitioners and physicians to file prescriptions electronically and have easy access to patient information. Such records are only used in about 24 percent of physicians’ offices, and only about 10 percent use a full EHR system. But retail-based health clinics are on the rise, and a majority of Americans who try them are satisfied with the quality of care they receive. Perhaps the demand and use for health records will increase along with the emerging health clinic trend. You can read the full report on PRI’s Web site at: liberty.pacificresearch.org/docLib/200706111_HPPv5n6_0607.pdf Examiner 
|
