Not-so-surprising article in NY times highlighting both the remarkably high cost of electronic records (largely supported by public monies) and their remarkably poor performance (specifically in their ability to exchange information across different electronic records).
To me, it was folly to have the feds fund all of the different private electronic medical records, which meet some baseline functionality, both because of their exorbitant costs and the obvious issues of intercommunicability, especially since there is the remarkably functional (and free) VA system available to all. In fact, I saw a recent throw-away med journal (I think it was Medical Economics), which rated the different electronic records based on provider feedback. Of the 30 or so records, the VA placed in the top 2, both for hospitals and clinic practices.
Another boondoggle which feeds into (instead of helping fix) a much-too-expensive and unconnected/non-coherent medical system….
Geoff