Building a Strong Foundation for America’s Health Care System

From: Bipartisan Policy Center, June 2, 2011

BEI Commentary: The importance of EHRs and health IT is not a political issue, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center, which is led by former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and former Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist.  According to the report, “The ubiquitous access to once-unimaginable flows of information defines our age, and the everyday lives of millions of Americans, both in the workplace and at home. Yet, our health care system, which otherwise thrives on advanced technologies bordering on the miraculous, has been paradoxically immune to the informational and networking revolutions transforming so much of American life. Policymakers at both ends of the political spectrum and stakeholders at all levels understand the importance of health IT to the future of health care in the United States. There is general bipartisan consensus that effective utilization of health IT is the foundation of a modern and sustainable health care system.”

The ubiquitous access to once-unimaginable flows of information defines our age, and the everyday lives of millions of Americans, both in the workplace and at home. Yet, our health care system, which otherwise thrives on advanced technologies bordering on the miraculous, has been paradoxically immune to the informational and networking revolutions transforming so much of American life. Policymakers at both ends of the political spectrum and stakeholders at all levels understand the importance of health IT to the future of health care in the United States.

There is general bipartisan consensus that effective utilization of health IT is the foundation of a modern and sustainable health care system. Read More