Truly Vital Information
The digital revolution could help transform health care — if done right.
Congress and the new administration are taking an important step to improve health care with the economic recovery package, which provides incentives for health providers to use information technology (IT). To be most effective, these incentives must be carefully crafted.
| • | Establish objective goals and criteria for health IT systems. But don’t stifle competition by imposing mandates of specific technologies or development models. |
| • | Reward innovative doctors who make effective use of health IT. Reform reimbursement models to encourage fuller and more efficient electronic communication with patients. |
| • | Help remove barriers to data sharing and provide incentives for data exchanges. |
| • | Make data interoperable today. Insist that IT vendors separate data from applications so that it can flow between different systems without a wait for data standards, which might take years to complete. |
Businesses are working to develop a health information infrastructure that connects data, systems, and people in ways that are secure and private. Microsoft looks forward to collaborating with the public sector and others in industry to drive real change in our health care system.
