The White House health care summit begins tomorrow. And most Americans can only sit passively watching their television or electronically accessing the program online. Note the last statement: Americans can watch it on the Internet. Many can watch it on their cell phone. These are modern technologies that most Americans depend on every day. But why is it that our health care system is trapped in the 1950s with clipboards, handwritten records, and paper?
The Center for Health Transformation is marching ahead with an idea that almost everyone agrees is a necessary solution – deploying health information technology to modernize our health system. Today we are hosting a live blogging event featuring solutions from industry experts who are deploying and adopting these new technologies every day.
Most importantly, though – YOU can participate. Share your concerns, your ideas and solutions that the White House and Congress should do. They are your elected officials, with most voting being electronic I might add, so you have a right as an American to have your ideas heard.
In conjunction with the ongoing CHT blogging event, a new book, “Paper Kills 2.0: How Health IT Can Help Save Your Life and Your Money,” captures precisely what America needs – modernized – personalized – secured health care.
The 12-chapter collaboration includes a foreword by CHT founder and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.
In the book’s forward, Gingrich and Daschle write, “Despite agreement on the broad goals of improving care and lowering costs, the past year has shown that finding common ground on health reform can seem impossible. While it is important for policymakers to stand their ground when they must, it is equally as important to have the courage to collaborate when they should. Modernizing our system with health information technology is one of those issues.”
The timing could not be more perfect for the country to interact on the CHT blog and to read “Paper Kills 2.0.” The book that explores the most important drivers of health IT, from innovation, primary care, and clinical research to open source, electronic administration, and health information exchange. Each chapter focuses on the tens of billions of dollars invested through the economic stimulus law to get modern technologies into the hands of doctors and providers.
Be active – Be heard – Be bold. It is your turn to share with experts and make certain policymakers represent your needs.
David Merritt is Vice President and a Director of National Health Policy at the Center for Health Transformation.
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