Originally Published MX September/October 2004
SPECIAL REPORT: IT IN HEALTHCARE
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Understanding how all the pieces of the healthcare IT puzzle fit together can be a daunting task. Following are a few Web sites that are worth a close look.
The official summary of President Bush's healthcare technology agenda is essential reading for everyone involved in the development, implementation, or use of healthcare IT systems. This quick look covers the crucial points—including the president's goal of achieving electronic medical records for all Americans within 10 years—and specifically refers to programs that will provide incentives to help reach that goal. The summary is available via www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/technology/economic_policy200404/chap3.html.
For a broad analysis of healthcare IT, the Connecting for Health initiative offers many studies, recommendations, and videos related to healthcare and connectivity. All are available on-line, and the printed documents are downloadable in .pdf format. For example, the initiative's 97-page study of IT standards—a report compiled by the initiative's data standards working group—is a very informative analysis of interoperability and how standards can help achieve it. A list of such studies can be accessed via www.connectingforhealth.org/resources/generalresources.html.
Bridges to Excellence is a coalition of doctors, health plans, and large employers whose goal is to make it economically feasible for participating physicians—including those in small practices—to utilize more healthcare information technology. For example, participating doctors who use certain electronic systems receive an annual bonus of $50 per patient, which is about half the savings expected from the use of such systems. An overview of the program can be obtained via www.bridgestoexcellence.org/bte. Some details of the incentives provided are available via www.bridgestoexcellence.org/bte/pdf/Bridges_Overview_May_2003.pdf.
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