Late, Over Budget, and Unpopular What More Can You Ask?

According to the BBC the British NHS computer project is unpopular with physicians, behind schedule and over budget. The government admitted the electronic records system could be two-and-a-half years late and cost billions of pounds more to implement. In the survey, by BBC Radio 4's File on Four, four out of five GPs had access to the computer system, but half said they rarely or never use it. Only about one in five said it was good or fairly good. The overwhelming majority - 85% - say there should be an independent review of the entire scheme by technical experts to check its basic viability. Our American experience with HIEs and RHIOs has long suggested that even connecting neighboring communities is a difficult and expensive undertaking and not for the faint of heart. We should follow the British experience closely, for I suspect that there will be many lessons to learn. Interesting Quote:

"Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense. " Arnold Bennett