Investing in Health IT: What the U.S. and Other Countries Are Learning

Health information technology can help prevent medical errors, improve care coordination, increase access to providers in rural areas and improve the quality and value of care. At the same time, questions have been raised about the cost of implementation, personal privacy considerations and potential disruption to the business of health care, especially for providers in individual and small group practices.

Recent legislation, including the stimulus package and the new health reform law, invests substantial funds in health IT. Other nations have done the same. What have other countries learned from their experience with health IT? How is the adoption of this technology progressing in the U.S. across the many different types of health care settings? How are we developing standards for “meaningful use” of health IT?

To answer these and related questions, the Alliance for Health Reform and The Commonwealth Fund sponsored an October 29 briefing. Panelists were: David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health information technology at HHS; Tom Bowden of HealthLink in New Zealand; Ib Johansen of Denmark’s MedCom; and Sabine Koch of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Humphrey Taylor of Harris Interactive (a member of the Alliance board of directors) and Robin Osborn of The Commonwealth Fund co-moderated.

Transcript

Full Transcript (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

Speaker Presentations

Robin Osborn Presentation (PowerPoint)
Tom Bowden Presentation (PowerPoint)
Ib Johansen Presentation (PowerPoint)
Sabine Koch Presentation (PowerPoint)
David Blumenthal Presentation (PowerPoint)

Event Details

Agenda (Adobe Acrobat PDF)