

The Problem with Software - brandonkm
http://baselinescenario.com/2009/07/14/health-care-software/#more-4359

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dasil003
There's another factor too, which the author doesn't really touch on. The
likelihood of software being bad increases along with the complexity of the
business logic. That's why enterprise software projects are so hard to get
right. My understanding is that state regulations vary so much that any kind
of medical software is fraught with byzantine complications just to do the
most basic thing. So it seems to me the most logical thing we can do to lower
the cost and increase the quality of medical software is to adopt some
standards. Now how much of a dent that can put in the overall costs is still
up for debate, but I bet it could be significant.

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roc
Included in the proposed federal electronic system is a streamlining and
standardization of the business logic of health care.

After having worked on a few projects for a health care provider in the US, I
agree emphatically that updating the business logic has a much greater chance
of saving time and money than even a hypothetical 'perfect' digitizing of the
system itself.

(And it's not just State/Federal regulations, but insurance provider processes
that make a royal mess of everything.)

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jacquesm
This article makes a bunch of very valid points, but the real issue is that
health care in the US is simply much too expensive per treatment, and that the
cost to society of things like obesity are enormous. That is not going to be
cured with 'software' of any kind but with a lifestyle change.

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ahoyhere
Replace "lifestyle change" with "societal change," more like. The "software"
that runs society is bad.

Of course, the country's GDP increases every time somebody pays excessive
healthcare costs. It would decrease if laws were passed banning noxious
substances like trans-fats or high fructose corn syrup, even though society
would be healthier.

