I don't know about you, but to me, the idea of the Social Security Administration using EMRs to speed up its disability determination process (and hack away at its $500 million paper process costs at the same time) is an application made in heaven. It's so useful, it's basically a no-brainer.

As I see it, in this scenario everyone wins. On the one hand, you've got the SSA, which may be able to afford to help providers pay for EMRs just by cutting down that one-half billion in paper pushing expenses it faces. You've got the providers, who get access to the tool and/or at least one application for which the ROI is obvious and maybe even immediate.

And of course, SSI applicants get their papers reviewed more quickly, something that helps not only them, but also the agency, as I'm sure it would rather know its liabilities as soon as possible.

This kind of thinking is the type that should delight president-elect Obama, who seems to share the Bush Administration's view that saving on healthcare moneys (which SSI eligibility is, indirectly) is critical to making it work. Not only that, it saves money on an entitlement, which costs the federal government a staggering sum each year.

Now, there's clearly going to be many, many more applications for EMR data within government--both state and local, as well as federal. So tell me readers, which functions do you think would be made more efficient and save large sums of money if based on instant access to patient EMR data? How much might those applications save? - Anne