More and more 2009 looks like it could be the watershed year for Healthcare IT adoption. Just take a look at some recent headlines from industry publications.
CDW poll finds support for IT spending in healthcare, trends for 2009 (Healthcare IT News, 12/16)
Electronic Records Are Key to Health-Care Reform (Business Week 12/19)
Picture Positive For State Health Care IT Despite Budget Squeeze (Channel Web 12/12)
Obama’s stimulus package to include healthcare IT (Healthcare IT News 12/19)
We’re seeing a push from pretty much all parties here. At the federal level Obama’s appoinment of Tom Daschele shows that he’s clearly interested in pushing the healthcare IT initiative, and the emphasis on IT in his healthcare stimulus package will provide the hard dollars to back that talk up.
Within the industry things seem to be coming together as well. CDW straw poll (referenced above) suggests strong spending in 2009 and obstacles that have styimed healthcare in the past, like undefined security standards, are being worked out by industry groups.
What will really drive healthcare IT adoption though, are the still soaring prices of healthcare. As Lord Acton (or Herbert Stein, depends who you ask) said, “things that can’t go on forever, don’t.” The economics of healthcare seem to fit in this category, and the growing consumer disatisfaction with healthcare prices suggest that the current trend is reaching the end of it’s limits. Prices have to start going down at some point, with IT being one way to bring the most efficiency to providers.
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