The law of ‘UFCs’

When it comes to the implementation of major healthcare technology, UFCs–or Unintended Financial Consequences–loom like Everest over the hill of ROI, particularly when the investment is in hundreds of millions and the UFCs are directly caused by it. It makes the telehealth and telemedicine initiatives in the ATA ROI ‘Jello to the Wall’ discussion below look like an argument over a penny poker game. Combine a high TCO (total cost of ownership) with a fuzzy ROI and throw in a few big UFCs such as reduced admissions/patient volume, inaccurate charging for services and declining reimbursement, and it’s ‘The Poseidon Adventure’ for many smaller, on-the-edge health systems resulting in Chapter 11. This analysis, though about an EHR implementation (Epic) at MaineHealth–a Cadillac when a Chevy would have done–is worth reading and dissecting. What Is The Opposite Of Health IT Return On Investment? HIT Consultant   Hat tip to Ellen Fink-Samnick of ‘Ellen’s Ethical Lens’