Healthcare IT Spotlight Burns Bright
Last week saw a series of announcements and events that underscore the importance the Obama administration and new Congress have placed on healthcare information technology (HIT) to stimulate the economy and help solve a national crisis in healthcare access, costs and outcomes.
First up was the "Investing in Health IT: A Stimulus for a Healthier America" hearing chaired by Senator Mikulski's HELP Committee. It featured compelling testimony on the need for better applications to solve the electronic health record (EHR) problem, specifically interoperability.
Next up, the House Appropriations committee unveiled its $825 billion "American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009," calling on significant investments to "update and computerize our healthcare system to cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and reduce healthcare costs." Key provisions include billions in federal HIT funding for computerize health records, with billions more targeted at disease prevention/wellness; healthcare effectiveness research; community health centers, and training primary care providers.
The new climate in Washington provides a once-in-a-decade opportunity for HIT companies to become part of a massive and coordinated effort to fix the broken healthcare system. Healthcare IT has become a bright spot in the otherwise dismal economic climate. Schwartz Communications will continue to monitor the HCIT landscape, offering insight into turning the current legislative agenda into real business opportunity through public relations. This includes hot button issues like consumer directed healthcare, transparency, interoperability and others. Stay tuned.
Coming up: Schwartz will be conducting a free Webinar titled, "The New Administration and Healthcare IT: Positioning Your Company for Success." scheduled for Thursday, February 26 at 2:00 PM Eastern. Details to follow soon.
Posted by Doug Russell on January 21, 2009 at 4:06 PM
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