“How an Industry Lobby Scored a Swift, Unexpected Victory by Channeling Billions to Electronic Records” The Washington Post has an eye-opening article on what really happened with the Health IT stimulus bill. It looks like Buckminister Fuller’s GRUNCH of Giants is alive and well. I now see the connection between HIMSS, Partners and AMIA. I’ve often wondered why AMIA has always been dominated by the Northeast/Massachutsetts crowd, why things like the Linux Medical News Freedom Award has been given such a cold reception year after year, and why AMIA leaders seem to hold such contradictory positions to AMIA’s mission. Things like government intervention bad (but we lobbied for it secretly), taxpayer money good, proprietary vendors good, physicians and taxpayers in perpetual financial servitude good. Now I know. That the health IT in the stimulus bill isn’t a social experiment at best (I’m being charitable) or simply a wealth transfer to proprietary vendors and government at worst is evident. Prove me wrong.