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Say it Ain’t So Kathy Sebelius

8 Responses

1. Darrell, on April 2, 2009 at 3:57 PM said:

   “Perception is reality; especially in the healthcare space where integrity and trust matters most”.
   – ME-P staff; 2009.

   “Do politicians and/or those of us in healthcare really believe we are above it all?”
   – ME-P Publisher Dr. David Edward Marcinko; 2009.

   “Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.”
   – Levine, Locke, Searls and Weinberger
   The Cluetrain Manifesto
   1999

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2. Darrell, on April 4, 2009 at 1:07 PM said:

   Good morning Ann;

   I came across this interesting article about a meeting between Michael Leavitt and Tom Daschle that occurred on Monday night.

   http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=77&story_id=6965

   It’s an interesting contrast. Leavitt comes from a heartless insurance background, and Daschle comes from Cuba.

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3. D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, on September 13, 2011 at 10:03 AM said:

   HHS Follow-Up

   Contrary to reports from her own Department, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius declares that modern EHRs are protected by “robust security.”

   http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Patient_230/Secretary_Sebelius_Spotlights_New_Efforts_to_Empower_Patients.shtml

   I challenged her statement in a comment following her article. What did you expect?

   —————

   Dear HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius:

   In your article posted on HealthNewsDigest.com today, you confidently promise Americans: “Health IT has robust security and all users, from patients to caregivers to doctors, can easily and safely access and share health information electronically.” With all due respect, Secretary Sebelius, Americans deserve better quality information than what your article offers concerning HIPAA and electronic health records. Your claim is arguably biased.

   “Robust security”? Your own department confirms that in the last 12 months, at least 11.5 million EHRs have been fumbled. While elsewhere in HIT industry news, it is said that 70% of healthcare facilities in the US have suffered at least one reportable breach during the same period. Nothing is holding down the cost of HIPAA compliancy, yet security is getting worse. Not robust.

   You surely must realize if a dental practice suffers a breach of more than 500 patients’ files through a burglary, dishonest employee or hacker, shortly after the dentist self-reports the breach, the honesty can cause bankruptcy even before HHS fines are even levied and an ambitious AG files a state lawsuit. Are EDRs worth the risk bankruptcy?

   Here’s what makes the paperless mandate especially absurd in dentistry: Electronic dental records are not only more dangerous than paper records for both the dentist and patient, but they needlessly raise the cost of dental care without providing tangible benefits to the dentalcare principals.

   As a taxpayer, I should warn HHS that vetted ADA HIT representatives who hitched careers to informatics are unlikely to be transparent about the dangers and cost of HITECH. For example, even Dr. Robert Faiella, Chair of the ADA Electronic Health Record Workgroup and President-elect candidate, continues to evade discussion of EDRs and HIPAA with dentists – which makes the shy candidate pretty much worthless as a leader.

   Thanks for hearing me out, Secretary Sebelius. I hope this helps somehow.

   D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

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4. D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, on September 13, 2011 at 11:09 PM said:

   I posted my second letter to Kathleen Sebelius concerning HIPAA in dentistry following her article on HealthNewsDigest.com.

   http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Patient_230/Secretary_Sebelius_Spotlights_New_Efforts_to_Empower_Patients.shtml

   ———

   Dear HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius:

   I’m writing you again to say that I and many other dentists in the US appreciate any attention your office can dedicate to the needs of our dental patients. As evidence of the interest in your response, I’m happy to report that yesterday’s letter to you was picked up by the Medical Executive-Post, with a readership of over 325,000. https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2009/04/02/say-it-ain%E2%80%99t-so-kathy-sebelius/#comment-10468

   Unlike dentalcare stakeholders, practicing dentists are dental patients’ best chance for unbiased representation before lawmakers. However, it’s obvious that other than my voice, the dental industry is silent concerning HIPAA. You must agree that silence this late in the game is exactly why our conversation is so crucial, Secretary Sebelius.

   Internet discussion of HIPAA’s threats to physicians’ practices has been widespread and vibrant for years – often leading to quick common sense solutions around problems caused by naïve and fallible rule makers. On the other hand, fear-laden evasion by image-conscious dental leaders inside and outside the ADA has predictably caused HIPAA to become even more ineffective in dentists’ offices than in physicians’.

   Want to see a fragile dentalcare bubble? With nothing holding down the cost of compliancy and no oversight of HIPAA interpretation, opportunistic entrepreneurs who don’t understand dentistry continue to manipulate the mandate to take advantage of dentists and their clueless patients. Who couldn’t foresee the end of that free ride?

   As a taxpayer at a time in history when our grandchildren can no longer afford our leaders’ usual fiscal foolishness, I feel the community should be warned about HIPAA’s tremendous waste of healthcare resources. Since Americans’ welfare is at risk, and since HIPAA causes an (as yet unrevealed) increase in the cost of dentistry, a fresh look by the Government Accounting Office is not out of line.

   Thanks for your time.

   Sincerely,
   D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

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5. Ann Miller RN MHA, on September 14, 2011 at 12:50 AM said:

   Rural Docs Sign on for EHRs: Sebelius

   Tens of thousands of physicians have signed up for the federal electronic health-record system incentive payment program, and the federal push appears popular, in particular, with rural clinicians, the Obama administration’s senior health official said yesterday.

   HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told a gathering of health IT leaders in Washington that more than 80,000 physicians have registered for the EHR incentive payments authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

   Also, about 70% of primary-care providers in small rural communities have signed agreements with regional extension centers, which were created by the law to give providers advice in purchasing and installing EHRs, among other IT consulting services.

   Source: Rich Daly, Modern Healthcare [9/13/11]

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6. D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, on April 19, 2012 at 10:00 PM said:

   Sebelius censors providers’ concerns

   Dear HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius:

   Two days ago, you promised that “Substantial progress has been made in many areas developed to support greater transparency and understanding about financial resource data.” Yet when I asked a simple, logical question about the cost of HIPAA compliance yesterday, you censored the question.

   http://www.hhs.gov/open/plan/planv2/transparency.html

   What gives? Was the talk of transparency just for show, or do you stand behind your promises?

   D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

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7. Amanda, on October 23, 2013 at 3:52 PM said:

   Resign

   Fly — Kathy —- Fly away.

   Amanda

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8. Greta, on June 9, 2014 at 4:02 PM said:

   New HHS Secretary Burwell faces challenges early on

   Newly appointed U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell will face several challenges upon entering office, including finding a permanent fix to the sustainable growth rate formula.

   http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/medical-economics/news/new-hhs-secretary-burwell-faces-challenges-early

   Greta

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