[obituary_latte]

So if I'm understanding correctly, the lowest hanging fruit to providing medical care to those in need is...paperwork?

Sounds like we're working on a band-aide, not a solution.

Again, progress is progress. I guess I wonder whether or not these efforts could be focused on the root. I'm probably sounding like a pretentious douche with all the answers...it's not intentional. On a very base level, I cant help but wonder what all this potential could achieve if the focus weren't money. As I understand it, the benefits you proclaim would be a side effect of a successful (read: profitable) implementation.

As always, I might be misunderstanding.

[briguy]

(1) No, I am saying that one of the lowest hanging fruits to drive down the cost of Healthcare is ubiquitous/simple two way electronic communication between providers/payers/patients. Today's technology is more than capable of solving this in a very efficient manner. The politics and other reasons standing in the way of progress is a completely different story. (2) This product is actually a solution to this specific issue (complicated and inaccessible data interchange formats). This is not going to solve the healthcare crisis alone, however I think the net effect of services like this is very positive and will result in lower costs and Better and Faster healthcare service. One Note: While a realitime EOB (explanation of benefits) system will benefit patients. Such a system can be abused. Health Providers that are less than ethical (which hopefully is a small minority) that can more easily query for "un-used" benefits that remain on their patients insurance plan can push un-necessary procedures and diagnostics in order to make more claims.

[Retric]

What your missing is Doctors don't actually cost that much directly. Talking with a doctor for 10 minutes often involves the doctor doing 5 minutes of paperwork, and medical billing people doing 2 hours of work at the doctors office and at your insurance company. The billing people may make 1/3 what the doctor does but if there working 6 times as long there still 2/3's of the costs.