Slide Presentation from the AHRQ 2007 Annual Conference

My positions / questions

• If we don't define the problem correctly, we'll get the wrong answer
  • example: CPOE—must be at least the med administration cycle
  • example: eRx—definition should be prescriber-dispenser unit
  • example: health information exchanges—not "stand-alone"
• Sustainability is the question, but it is the system—not any specific component, that is should be modeled
  • Are hospitals sustainable?
  • Is Medicare sustainable?
  • Are health plans (and medical inflation) sustainable?
  • the whole can be greater than its parts
• Are established intermediaries really sustainable?
  • or did they simply get there first?
  • are they merely holding on the the money and control?