Healthcare information technology standards: Too much of a good thing?

[rwingo]

A UPI report brings up some interesting points regarding standards in healthcare information technology:

There are currently more than 4,000 health IT standards in use, with hundreds of bodies responsible for them -- no wonder then, that doctors and other healthcare providers -- who are being asked to invest tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars -- feel a little like they are putting their money on the roulette wheel.

The answer, advocates say, is a "national conversation" so that the waiting game can end and adoption of life- and money-saving health IT can proceed...

"The problem is not that we need standards; it's that we have to decide what standards we're going to use."

Read the full article