STC Blog
Health Care Information Reform: It’s About Teamwork!Todd Watkins - STC Managing Partner/CAO
Many initiatives are simultaneously underway to streamline health care information to enable and facilitate health care reform. While the meaningful exchange of health care information is not the only issue, it is clearly a critical element of being able to achieve a more cost-effective health care delivery system in the U.S. It is certainly no secret that the data associated with our health care system is distributed across multiple systems. Many of the systems and their data are not logically integrated thereby inhibiting the meaningful exchange of critical information on patients and events that affect the health and well being of our country and its residents.
As a result, the federal government recently invested nearly $2 billion through a variety of funding channels to state and local government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, universities, and other state-designated entities to:
- Create Health Information Exchange (HIE) solutions.
- Establish Regional Extension Centers to aid public health workers in the implementation and use of health information technology.
- Develop job training programs targeted at creating skills needed to access careers in health care and information technology.
- Build “stand up” Community Wellness programs targeted at obesity and tobacco-related chronic illnesses.
- Create logical links using standards and technology between provider systems, public health, and human services departments.
It is clearly an exciting time for the health care information technology marketplace and all the various organizations and businesses dedicated to its success. This success will only be achieved through collaboration. Government organizations that historically vie for limited funding now need to forge partnerships to leverage best practices and adopt standards. Information technology solution providers that normally compete need to have open discussions on how best-of-breed solutions can integrate together to best serve the government sector in its quest to achieve the desired outcomes. And, most importantly, the public and private sectors need to be at the table together and in alignment as to how to most effectively leverage the funding available.
The mission is clear. The funding is available. It’s now time to deliver.
Posted on: May 25, 2010 | Links: Facebook |
