Electronic Health Records

As Doctors Adopt Electronic Records, Signs of Harm Emerge

Scores of reports on file with the Food and Drug Administration detail consequences to patients when an electronic medical record system fails. Those reports, reviewed by the Huffington Post Investigative Fund, show that a central function of the record systems, known as computerized provider order entry, or CPOE, has been linked to instances in which patients died or suffered serious injuries.

iStock Photo by sstop
healthcare
HELP US INVESTIGATE
Have you been affected by the switch to electronic health records?

Are you a patient who has begun tracking your medical records online? Are you a health care provider who has converted to digital records management? Do you sell or develop these technologies? We're following the nation's adoption of new digital medical records, and we want to hear from you.

Send A Tip

Latest Coverage | Electronic Medical Records

FDA, Obama Digital Medical Records Team at Odds over Safety Oversight

A big hospital system's computers go awry, sending doctor's instructions to the wrong patient records and underscoring the risks of new medical technology. Despite high stakes for President Obama and taxpayers, the administration resists national tracking of such errors and their causes.

Fred Schulte3 August 2010

Safety Overshadowed?

 

For more than two decades the technology industry has resisted attempts to strengthen government safety oversight of electronic health record systems.

 

Emma Schwartz2 August 2010

MAP: A View of the Projects

A view of the 15 projects across the country that the federal government is funding as part of a $220 million experiment to show whether digital records technology can improve health and cut costs. (Click to learn about individual projects)

 

 

 

Emma Schwartz6 July 2010

VIDEO: A New Prescription for the Delta's Poor

Debra Richardson struggles with diabetes and other chronic ailments. Will the health of people like her benefit from millions in federal stimulus dollars being spent on information technology in one of the poorest corners of the Mississippi Delta?

Emma Schwartz2 July 2010

Are New Digital Networks Part of the Cure?

It's an early test of the $27 billion gamble by the Obama administration that medical records technology can achieve specific cost reductions and health improvements. But will it work? By Emma Schwartz and Fred Schulte

Emma Schwartz2 July 2010

As Doctors Shift to Electronic Health Systems, Signs of Harm Emerge

A device that is central in the shift toward electronic medical records systems has been linked to instances of death or injury, according to an Investigative Fund review of Food and Drug Administration data. By Fred Schulte and Emma Schwartz

Fred Schulte20 April 2010

Amid Digital Records Surge, a Lack of Policing by the FDA

As federal officials encourage the rapid expansion of electronic medical records to help doctors improve care and cut costs, they lack a reliable and systematic method for tracking the safety of these products, agency data and audits show.

Instead, the Food and Drug Administration depends on a spotty warning system that can take a year to flag serious computer malfunctions and other software glitches. When it does learn about incidents that might cause harm, the FDA has failed to correct the problems, the data and audits show.

Emma Schwartz20 April 2010

Expanded Statement from Cerner Corp.

Below is Cerner’s statement to the Investigative Fund regarding adverse event reports submitted to the FDA about its health information technology devices.

I-Fund Staff20 April 2010

Expanded Statement from GE Healthcare

Below are excerpts from GE’s statement to the Investigative Fund regarding adverse event reports submitted to the FDA about its health information technology devices.

GE Healthcare is dedicated to providing safe and effective products. 

I-Fund Staff20 April 2010

DATABASE: Explore Health IT 'Adverse Event' Reports Submitted to the FDA

The FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database is the nation's largest repository of adverse events related to medical devices. Using the system, the Huffington Post Investigative Fund identified 237 reports related to health information technology filed with the agency since January 2008. Here are excerpts of those reports as of Feb. 15, 2010. Click a column header to sort results, or click details for more information.

Anonymous20 April 2010

About This Investigation
Electronic Health Records

The government is set to spend billions on electronic health records systems. As doctors and hospitals make the switch, we delve into questions of privacy, cost-effectiveness and oversight. 

Editor's Note: This coverage is supported by the Markle Foundation. Learn more.

Key Links On This Topic