This week Hillary Clinton met with Newt Gingrich, and together they declared unity and agreement on America's healthcare future -- at least as far as the role of information technology goes in it. The man who led the conservative charge against the Clinton healthcare plan in the early 1990s cozying up with the author of HillaryCare? That surprising sight led to an immediate media freak-out.
The implications for the healthcare industry are big indeed. At least, sort of. Providers and payers can expect more legislation impacting information technology in the healthcare field, but realistically probably not much more money from the feds. What could the implications of new legislation be? Healthcare veterans may recall the last time significant legislation affecting healthcare IT was passed: in 1996, when the Senate voted 100-0 in favor of the Kennedy-Kassenbaum legislation. That law is better known today as HIPAA. Ten years later payers and providers are struggling with the implications. So cast a jaundiced eye when you hear that Washington is preparing to intervene. - Matthew