Good writing about bad policy

The health care IT section of the stimulus bill working its way through Congress looks pretty weak. The $20 billion number is big enough but unfortunately the timing and structure don't make a great deal of sense.

Of the $20 billion, $18 billion is deferred until 2011, when it will start being offered as incentives to physicians who are already using EHRs. In other words, physicians have to invest their own money --and do so within the next few months-- in order to be ready to start claiming the funds. It doesn't strike me as realistic and it's certainly not a near-term stimulus. It's actually more like an unfunded mandate since it's likely the availability of the $18B in 2011 on out will let Medicare and Medicaid pay lower rates than they otherwise would.

As Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative Micky Tripathi points out in his well-reasoned post, this is not a formula for success.