Uncategorized

TECH/POLICY: Mr Quinn is a little cynical about Dr Brailer

Ex-Health IT Czar David Brailer is starting a fund for health care IT with a pretty damn ambitious goal — reducing health care costs —and some $500m in funding from the state of California (or at least its employees pension plan CalPERS). Most amusing comment so far is from my old i-Beacon colleague Matt Quinn.

Dr. Brailer is starting a healthcare focused VC company with a pretty significant benefactor…too bad this wasn’t around in the i-Beacon days! I really don’t think that more money flowing to entrepreneurial HIT companies will solve the underlying reimbursement, financing and adoption issues that are limiting HIT today.

It will make for a more interesting HIMSS, though.

I look forward to sharing a pint or two of that “interest” with Matt and Dr Brailer too!

Categories: Uncategorized

Tagged as: ,

2 replies »

  1. I agree that Health IT won’t start taking off until we incent providers to do so.
    Strangely enough, Dr. Brailer will be getting 5 times as much to invest in Health IT from the state of California as he did as Bush’s Health IT czar.
    I’ve been somewhat puzzled why certain health IT applications haven’t been marketed more toward consumers. Things like emailing providers, access to electronic records (for things like vaccine records), and for simple questions seems like it would be of significant benefit. Why do these services also waiting for the big payers to push forward?

  2. “The capital markets have underserved this area,” Brailer told The Bee on Monday. “They don’t get an awful lot of attention.”
    Isn’t this the market – as it exists today – working?
    Taking cost out of the system – by definition – produces both winners and losers.
    Until big purchasers – like, ironically, CalPers – start paying for (or otherwise incenting) the use of stuff that helps improve quality, coordinate care, etc., then “the market” will continue in its current direction.