Hospitals, doctors, and other health care providers have relied on paper rewards for too long. The most widely used piece of electronic communication equipment is the fax machine. A system-wide transition to the digital age is long overdue. Over the next few years, widespread adoption and use of health information technology will play a significant role leading to cost savings, better quality, and improved safety. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, modern technology has the ability to produce estimated cost savings in the area of $140 billion per year by reducing duplicative care, lowering health care administration costs, and avoiding errors in care.
This forum gathered senior government, health care, and business leaders to discuss economic benefit and privacy challenges associated with an interoperable electronic health records network. As nearly every other industry sector has discovered, it is time that the health care industry realize the savings, safety, simplicity, and security that information technology can provide.
A keynote address will be delivered by the Hon. Newt Gingrich, Founder of the Center for Health Transformation and Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) of the U.S. House of Representatives . |
