On March 1st, the National Practitioner Data Bank for Adverse Information on Physicians and Other Health Care Practitioners becomes available to hospitals and other eligible ‘queries’.
Originally created 22 years ago by Congress, it was intended as a one stop clearinghouse to check for disciplinary actions taken anywhere in the country against health care professionals.
This expanded version includes not only doctors and dentists but all licensed health care workers such as pharmacists, technicians, nurses, and aides.
ProPublica and the Los Angeles Times offer an investigation into problems with failed oversight, missing data and flaws in reporting and compiling of data by both Federal and State governments. Dangerous Caregivers Missing From Federal Database
Unquestionably there are pluses and minuses whenever government collects and compiles data no matter how well intended. A month ago in ooops! Government looses hard drive I shared my own experience.
What hits me right up side the head about this data bank is who is authorized to query.
What about ‘we the people’? Are we not the ultimate employers of health care?
What is this … government knows best … hospital knows best … lawyers know best … BUNK! Who is more affected by ‘adverse information on physicians and other health care practitioners’ than the people receiving care?
On the White House web site you can read “My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government … Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens …” I guess you can find graffiti anywhere.
Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer
Remember almost a year ago?
“… the Obama administration plans to spend $19 billion to accelerate the use of computerized medical records in doctors’ offices. Medical experts agree that electronic patient records, when used wisely, can help curb costs and improve care….” How to Make Electronic Medical Records a Reality, The New York Times, Feb 2009
For seven years I have had my yearly physical in the same medical office and my blood work sent to the same lab. For seven years I paid my co-pay at the time of my physical and medical insurance paid for everything else.
Welcome to the era of Electronic Health Records! I got bills! After way too much time wasted on hold and or trying to get through electronic voice prompts, hallelujah! I reached a living human being.
Apparently the foundation of training for the transition to electronic health records is ‘finger pointing’. Little to no training has gone into how to fix anything. Unless of course the plan is for the patient to spend hours on hold or trying to get through electronic voice prompts to figure out the problem and fix it themselves.
It seems electronic records are only as good as the people that have to begrudgingly input data into them, apparently as little as possible or as inaccurately as possible considering the constant interruptions of any physician’s office.
Even Patti got a certified letter containing a bill at her care facility requiring her signature!!! Theoretically an impossible scenario, that is, until the era of electronic health records.
Dear Mr. President … any room in that $19 billion to reimburse “we the patients” hours on hold?
Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer
