Health Care -- Misinformation On Health Information Technology

February 11, 2009

by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Satyam Khanna, Matt Corley, Benjamin Armbruster, Ali Frick, and Ryan Powers

HEALTH CARE

Misinformation On Health Information Technology

Late last month, the House passed an economic recovery package containing $20 billion for health information technology, which would require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop standards by 2010 for a nationwide system to exchange health data electronically. The version of the recovery package passed by the Senate yesterday contains slightly less funding for health information technology ("health IT"). But as Congress moves to reconcile the two stimulus packages, conservatives have begun attacking the health IT provisions, falsely claiming that they would lead to the government "telling the doctors what they can't and cannot treat, and on whom they can and cannot treat." The conservative misinformation campaign began on Monday with a Bloomberg "commentary" by Hudson Institute fellow Betsy McCaughey, which claimed that the legislation will have the government "monitor treatments" in order to "'guide' your doctor's decisions." McCaughey's imaginative misreading was quickly trumpeted by Rush Limbaugh and the Drudge Report, eventually ending up on Fox News, where McCaughey's opinion column was described as "a report." In one of the many Fox segments focused on the column, hosts Megyn Kelly and Bill Hemmer blindsided Sens. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Jon Tester (D-MT) with McCaughey's false interpretation, causing them to promise that they would "get this provision clarified." On his radio show yesterday, Limbaugh credited himself for injecting the false story into the stimulus debate, saying that he "detailed it and now it's all over mainstream media."

McCAUGHEY GETS THE FACTS WRONG: In her commentary, McCaughey writes, "One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective." But the fact is, this isn't a new bureaucracy. The National Coordinator of Health Information Technology already exists. Established by President Bush in 2004, the office "provides counsel to the Secretary of HHS and Departmental leadership for the development and nationwide implementation" of "health information technology." Far from empowering the Office to "monitor doctors" or requiring private physicians to abide by treatment protocols, the new language tasks the National Coordinator with "providing appropriate information" so that doctors can make better informed decisions. As Media Matters noted, the language in the House bill, on which McCaughey based her column, does not establish authority to "monitor treatments" or restrict what "your doctor is doing" with regard to patient care. Instead, it addresses establishing an electronic records system so that doctors can have complete, accurate information about their patients. The Wonk Room's Igor Volsky pointed out that "this provision is intended to move the country towards adopting money-saving health technology (like electronic medical records), reduce costly duplicate services and medical errors, and create jobs."

HEALTH I.T. BELONGS IN RECOVERY PACKAGE: Projected to create over 200,000 jobs, the funding for health information technology in the recovery package is both an important stimulus and a down-payment on broader health care reform. Speaking in Ft. Myers, FL, yesterday, President Obama said that investment in health IT was "an example of using a crisis and converting it into an opportunity." "We are going to computerize our health care system, institute health IT," said Obama. "That creates jobs right now for people to convert from a paper system to a computer system, but it also pays a long-term dividend by making the health care system more efficient." Currently, fewer than 25 percent of hospitals, and fewer than 20 percent of doctor's offices, employ health information technology systems. Researchers have found that implementing health IT would result in a mean annual savings of $40 billion over a 15-year period by improving health outcomes through care management, increasing efficiency, and reducing medical errors. Investing in health would also help primary care physicians -- who often bear the burnt of tech implementation without seeing immediate benefits -- afford the infrastructure for expansion. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that one-third of $2 trillion spent annually on health care in America may be unnecessary due to inefficiencies in the system such as excessive paperwork. Investments in infrastructure like health IT will help improve the quality of America's health care.

MCCAUGHEY'S POISONING HEALTH REFORM AGAIN: Responding to her Bloomberg commentary, the New Republic's health care writer Jonathan Cohn noted that "Elizabeth McCaughey is up to her old tricks again." "Not content to have poisoned one major health care debate, she seems determined to poison this one, too," wrote Cohn. In 1994, McCaughey published a "viciously inaccurate" article on the Clinton health care plan in the New Republic, which is credited with having "completely distorted the debate on the biggest public policy issue of 1994." McCaughey's article claimed that there would be "no exit" from the Clinton plan, and individuals would be prevented from "going outside the system to buy basic health coverage" that they preferred. But, as the Atlantic's James Fallows pointed out after the Clinton plan was defeated, McCaughey ignored "the first provision of the bill," which clearly said: "Nothing in this Act shall be construed as prohibiting the following: (1) An individual from purchasing any health care services." Just like in 1994, McCaughey's latest Bloomberg commentary provides page numbers from the legislation to give her claims the aura of credibility. But just as in 1994, McCaughey's assertions are not supported by the language of the bill she cites.

ENERGY -- SALAZAR REJECTS BUSH'S MIDNIGHT RUSH TO EXPAND OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING: Yesterday, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar set aside the Bush administration's midnight timetable for a vast expansion of offshore drilling. Salazar sharply rebuked the "headlong rush of the worst kind" put in place during President Bush's final week in office. Announcing that "the time for reform has arrived," Salazar explained that he "will extend the public comment period by 180 days, get a report on offshore energy resources, hold regional conferences, and expedite rulemaking for offshore renewable energy resources." He rebuked the "oil and gas or nothing" approach of the Bush administration, which ignored the Energy Policy Act of 2005's mandate to develop regulations for offshore renewables. Furthermore, Salazar made it clear that his definition of "energy independence" does not mean a "drill only" future, as it did under Bush. "I intend to do what the Bush Administration refused to do: build a framework for offshore renewable energy development," Salazar explained. "The Bush Administration was so intent on opening new areas for oil and gas offshore that it torpedoed offshore renewable energy efforts." Salazar's efforts have been greeted by praise from environmentalists.

ENVIRONMENT -- SCIENTIST TO LOSE FUNDING FOR OPPOSING BUSH'S PRO-INDUSTRY POLICIES: New documents released by the advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) yesterday show that Professor Rick Steiner, a marine scientist at the University of Alaska, is set to lose his federal funding for opposing the Bush administration's industry-friendly policies. In March 2008, Steiner wrote an open letter calling attention to what he said was a "pro-business slant" in the supposedly neutral North Aleutian Basin Energy-Fisheries Initiative, an oil exploration public relations program funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Sea Grant. As Steiner explained, the Energy-Fisheries initiative is "primarily concerned with fostering a dialogue on an offshore oil and gas lease sale scheduled by the Minerals Management Service." Steiner, whose salary was also partially paid by Sea Grant, said that the Initiative was biased toward energy industry interests and "based on the premise that offshore oil and gas development will occur." Ironically, NOAA then pushed to strip Steiner of his funding for not acting as a "neutral broker of information." At a May 2008 meeting with a University of Alaska representative, National Sea Grant Deputy Director Jim Murray said that NOAA had an "issue with Rick Steiner" and his "advocacy" letter. PEER's new documents show that in July 2008, at NOAA's request, the university decided to remove Steiner from future Sea Grant funding requests.

MILITARY -- GATES OPEN TO ALLOWING MEDIA PHOTOS OF MILITARY COFFINS AT DOVER: During his first press conference on Monday night, President Obama said that his administration was "in the process of reviewing" the policy banning media photographs of flag-draped coffins of U.S. servicemembers returning to Dover Air Force base. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested that he was open to allowing such photos. "If the needs of the families can be met and the privacy concerns can be addressed, the more honor we can accord these fallen heroes, the better," he said. Gates will be setting a "short deadline" for the Pentagon's review of the policy, which was established in 1991 during the Gulf War and was renewed under George W. Bush as recently as a year ago. "I think that looking at it again makes all kinds of sense," Gates said, adding that he was "pretty open to whatever the results of this review may be." The Bush Pentagon seemed determined to keep the media away from the realities of war, kicking out an embedded blogger for photographing the body of a dead soldier last year. Weeks later, the Army demoted -- and then fired -- Arlington Cemetery's director of public affairs for trying to investigate the cemetery's stiff restrictions on media access. John Ellsworth, the president of Military Families United, said the Obama administration has reached out to some military families to seek their views on the Dover issue.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said yesterday that he is "definitely running for reelection in 2010 and has begun using criticism of the $838 billion federal economic stimulus plan as a platform to raise money." "The economic challenges currently confronting our nation are immense and unfortunately, the Democrats in Congress propose addressing these challenges through increased spending," McCain wrote in an e-mail to supporters.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) is facing criticism after disclosing sensitive information on Twitter about his delegation's recent trip to Iraq. The Pentagon is now "reviewing its communications with lawmakers traveling to war zones following a senior member’s disclosures about a delegation trip to Iraq and Afghanistan."

Israel's centrist Kadima Party, led by Tzipi Livni, and the right-wing Likud Party, led by Bibi Netanyahu, are still "locked in a tight battle for leadership on Wednesday," which leaves "unclear the shape of the next Israeli government." President Shimon Peres must decide whether to call on Livni or Netanyahu to form a government.

Yesterday in a closed-door meeting with Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced that lawmakers would be forgoing their annual pay raises for the coming year. The decision is expected to extend to senators as well.

"House Democrats voted down an attempt on Tuesday to remove Representative Charles B. Rangel of New York as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee during a continuing ethics investigation." The House ethics committee also voted to reauthorize a bipartisan subcommittee to investigate Rangel's failure to pay some of his taxes and his use of four rent-controlled apartments in Harlem, including one for a campaign office.

Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg has resigned, under "intense pressure" in the Troopergate scandal. State legislators were angry at his attempt to "quash legislative subpoenas" in last year's investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin (R) abused her power by pressing for the firing of her former brother-in-law, an Alaska state trooper.

And finally: Yesterday, legendary country music singer Dolly Parton had the "usually sedate crowd" at the National Press Club "cracking up with her self-deprecating humor and one-liners, including a few on politics." Parton, who was in town for her role as an ambassador for Great Smoky Mountains National Park said, "Somebody said to me, 'Well, you know what -- you've got such a big mouth and you know how to talk to people, did you ever think about running for president?' ... I said, 'I think we’ve had enough boobs in the White House, but hopefully [President] Obama ain't gonna be one of them.'"

United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who prosecuted Scooter Libby and brought charges against Rod Blagojevich, "will be staying in his job in the Obama administration, even though he was appointed to the position by President George W. Bush."

THINK PROGRESS: Will Democrats listen to Obama and restore school construction funds to stimulus?

WONK ROOM: The Senate's billion-dollar nuclear weapons provision should be cut from recovery plan.

YGLESIAS: The Cato Institute's Brink Lindsey accuses progressives of peddling "nostalgianomics."

SHOW ME PROGRESS: Missouri state lawmaker compares pro-choice bill to the "War of Northern Aggression."

FLORIDA: "We know that it's important that we pass a stimulus package,'' says Gov. Charlie Crist (R).

UTAH: Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-UT) backs a proposal that would give same-sex couples the right to civil unions.

RECESSION REALITY: Sens. John McCain (R) and John Kyl's (R) Arizona.

"All the polling...indicates that the American public may have some real reservations about this stimulus plan."
-- NBC's Tom Brokaw, 2/10/09

VERSUS

"The American public gives President Barack Obama a strong 67% approval rating for the way in which he is handling the government's efforts to pass an economic stimulus bill."
-- Gallup, 2/09/09

Think Progress

Misinformation On Health Information Technology

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