Tech Giants Push Open Standards for Health Network

securitas writes "The New York Times' Steve Lohr reports that 'Eight of the nation's largest technology companies, including I.B.M., Microsoft and Oracle, have agreed to embrace open, nonproprietary technology standards as the software building blocks for a national health information network.' Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Oracle, Accenture, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard and Computer Sciences have formed the Interoperability Consortium to build a health information network proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The network is the first step in moving from paper to electronic patient records and sharing health data between doctors, researchers, insurers and hospitals. Mirrors at IHT and CNet News.com with additional coverage at IDG/ComputerWorld Australia."

Comments

Never happen, no money in it

[Zed2K]

Who's going to pay for it? Hospitals have no money at all. To get them to spend money you have to go through so many committees and red tape its crazy. And anyone that can make a decision is already in bed with a different company and gets a kick back to only use them. Even if the product is crap and doesn't actually help patient care. There will never be a standard or open way for moving data around the healthcare environment.

The hospitals don't care about providing the best tools to the doctors to provide the best care. They care more about charging higher fees and lining their individual pockets. I see in 10-15 years or so the entire US medical industry crashing under its own weight. It is being run as a big business instead of putting the patients first.

Re:"Insurers"?

[ScentCone]

Can't see why you keep putting up with it. We also re-elected 'W'. By and large, we aren't too bright.

We also get to go see a doctor pretty much any time we want, and get first class care. In many European countries, you can wait weeks or months for a basic appointment. Yes, we elected W, but thankfully we didn't elect a patronizing, vascillating, polls-where-his-spine-should-be would-be socialist that married (twice!) into fortunes with which to fund his political aspirations. On the other hand, in Europe, you're dealing with a population where a third of people under 30 think that the U.S. actually planned and executed the 9/11 attacks under secret orders from a Jewish cabal, so before you talk about which continent has which IQ and grip on the facts, slow down a moment.