Despite touting the merits of government influence on healthcare, former Medsphere CEO Ken Kizer--who was integral in pushing electronic health records at the Department of Veteran's Affairs in the mid-1990s--told Toronto's Globe and Mail last week that there's still a lot of work to be done EHRs are fully accepted. 

"[T]he number one lesson of the [Veteran's Health Administration] is that governments can provide efficient, patient-centered, high-quality healthcare," Kizer said in an interview with the newspaper. "There's a lot of activity and money pouring in, but I'm not sure [the U.S.] is any better off than you are in Canada." 

Not surprisingly, Kizer talked about the benefits of using an open-source system, saying that doing so would truly help health IT reach its full potential. "With the proprietary model, you are always going back to the vendor for changes, and they decide whether to do them and how much they will cost. In Europe, open source EHR software is zooming," he said. 

"It's the most widely deployed EHR system in the world, but not here," he continued. 

Kizer added that ultimately, whether an EHR system is successful or not depends on the user. While the potential for leaks does exist, he said, the EHR is "just a tool" like anything else. 

"The real way it improves care is by making you focus on improving the process of care," he said. "If you automate a bunch of lousy processes, then you just get automated lousy processes." 

To learn more:
- read the Globe and Mail interview

Related Articles:
Report calls for VA to continue on open-source track with VistA upgrade
VistA is powerful, but is it adaptable?
VistA once again held up as an example of an EMR success
Story claims proprietary EMRs could 'screw up' health reform