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MESSAGE
FROM THE PRESIDENT
On April 27, 2004, President Bush called for widespread
adoption of interoperable electronic health records
(EHR) within 10 years. He also established David J.
Brailer, MD,PhD, in the position of National Coordinator
for Health Information Technology (HIT).
Brailer’s executive summary from The Decade of Health
Information Technology1 states, “There is a great
need for information tools to be used in the delivery
of health care. Preventable medical errors and treatment
variations have recently gained attention. Clinicians
may not know the latest treatment options, and practices
vary across clinicians and regions. Consumers want
to ensure that they have choices in treatment, and
when they do, they want to have the information they
need to make decisions about their care.”
The health care industry and consumer demands will
eventually require physicians to get on board with
health information technology or end up left behind!
The question here is not if the national focus on
HIT will impact the physician office setting, but
rather when. The widespread adoption of EHRs is a
national agenda item. For physician practices that
have not yet started the HIT journey, the time to
begin is now!
Transformational change is needed!
Practices preparing to adopt technology will require
more than just the purchase of an EHR - it will require
transformational change. Cultural and behavioral readiness
must be assessed and aligned for medical practices
to successfully implement an EHR.
1Thompson, T., Brailer D., “The Decade of Health
Information Technology: Delivering Consumer-centric
and Information-rich Health Care: Framework for Strategic
Plan”. July 21, 2004
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