I mentioned in an earlier post that there are incredible efficiencies that can be rung out of our health care system. Probably more than I am aware of. The Health Care Reform Act addresses a lot of these. Probably more than I'm aware of. Here's my favorite example:
A paper script (prescription) costs about $5.00 for the system (insurance, doctor, pharmacy etc.) to process. An electronic script costs about $.05 cents to process. And they are more accurate and helpful for the doctor (provide feedback on potential drug interactions etc.). Ever seen a typical doctors handwriting? I've taken scripts to pharmacies where the pharmacist literally could not decipher it. How much time is wasted my getting back with the doctor, deciphering the handwriting etc? I've seen more & more doctors using the hand held tools for automated prescriptions lately. But I'm quite sure that the vast majority of doctors are still in the analog world. Many less developed countries than ours use these. The software and hardware these other countries are using probably came from us. Why are we so slow with implementing these efficiencies?
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