Reform Stark antikickback statutes.(GUEST EDITORIAL)

Physician adoption of electronic health records is woefully inadequate, and current Stark and antikickback laws are part of the problem. Congress should pass reforms that create new exceptions to these statutes so that hospital systems and other entities can choose to provide community physicians with health information technology, particularly electronic health records. These reforms will speed the widespread adoption of health IT, quickly close the "adoption gap" between large and small physician practices, and improve the lives and health care of millions of Americans.

Health IT, especially electronic health records, undoubtedly saves countless lives and vastly improves patient safety and increases access to care--from preventing dangerous drug interactions and other medical errors to having real-time patient data at the point of care.

Health IT also saves the health care system substantial sums of money. A recent study in Health Affairs stated that an interconnected health IT network could save upward of $80 billion a year. Those are savings that could be used for other priorities, like insuring every American and reducing health care costs for all.

Health IT has not been embraced and championed on a grand scale, despite its impressive outcomes. According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 17% of physicians use electronic health records. The adoption rate is even lower in smaller physician practices.

The lack of widespread adoption results primarily from issues related to who can and will pay for the necessary infrastructure. One potential private-sector solution is for large hospital systems and other entities, such as pharmaceutical manufacturers, to play a major role. They generally have the resources and prestige to provide community physicians and clinics with the hardware, software, and expertise necessary to move physicians into the information age.

However, as the Government Accountability Office recently reported, "physicians may be reluctant to accept IT resources ...