Opinion: Don't regulate EHRs like cars

It's hard to argue against safety. And in our lawsuit-crazy society, not taking all reasonable measures to keep the public safe is an invitation to bankruptcy. But there are two complicating issues to keep in mind when considering whether to apply an auto industry regulatory approach to medical informatics. One is the fact that IT systems are a lot like sex. And we all know there's no such thing a safe sex, only safer sex. My point is, there's no completely safe technology, so we have to decide how safe is safe enough, and are we willing to spend the millions of dollars required to reach that level of safety?