Wal-Mart to Sell Physician Medical Records Systems

An article from a recent New York Times entitled “Wal-Mart Plans to Market Digital Health Records System” announces that Wal-Mart has teamed up with Dell and eClinicalWorks to offer healthcare information systems to small physician practices.

Dell will provide the hardware for these small office practice systems. eClinicalWorks will provided the systems through a web-based interface. Like most Wal-Mart products, the system will come with a modest price tag, $25,000 for one physician, about $10,000 for each additional doc.

WILL THE DOCS PONY UP?

According to the Times Article:

Only about 17 percent of the nation’s physicians are using computerized patient records, according to a government-sponsored survey published last year in The New England Journal of Medicine. The use of electronic health records is widespread in large physician groups, but three-fourths of the nation’s doctors work in small practices of 10 physicians or fewer.

Wal-Mart’s distribution model may provide cost advantages that traditional software-resellers do not have. Wal-Mart, and Sam’s Club are good at marketing products to small businesses.

Wal-Mart, however, has the potential to bring not only lower costs but also an efficient distribution channel to cater to small physician groups. Traditional health technology suppliers, experts say, have tended to shun the small physician offices because it has been costly to sell to them. Taken together, they make up a large market, but they are scattered.

“If Wal-Mart is successful, this could be a game-changer,” observed Dr. David J. Brailer, former national coordinator for health information technology in the Bush administration.

GAMECHANGER? OR SAME OLD STORY?

Many physicians, especially older physicians, are simply resistant to change. It takes time and human resources to install and learn these systems. And it takes time away from productive activity. And in small offices, the human resources necessary to install these systems simply do not exist.

Maybe we are asking the wrong question. Why, when costs for everything are up and almost all industries are consolidating, do small physician practices proliferate? Are we overpaying for medical care allowing small and inefficient practices to flourish and practice?

Damn straight we are. Take the money and the margins out of medicine and it will revert to what it should be, a service industry with wages consistent with other professionals.

STAY HEALTHY AND HEAL FAST IN THE DESERT OF THE REAL!