The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is trying to get both Republicans and Democrats on the same page when it comes to health IT. Leaders from HIMSS are asking both Democratic and Republican National Committee party platforms to support language that affirms the use of information technology in healthcare, as a way to transform the industry.
“Health IT is an essential, foundational element of any meaningful effort to transform our nation’s healthcare delivery system,” H. Stephen Lieber, HIMSS President and CEO, said in a statement. “While our nation is engaged in a long-term debate over how to restructure our healthcare system, there continues to be widespread, bipartisan support for efforts to move away from a delivery and payment system that rewards volume, toward a system that rewards efficiency and quality outcomes, in part by enabling providers and patients to access the right information at the right time through robust nationwide adoption of health IT.”
HIMSS is looking for the following language for inclusion in the Democratic and Republican national party platforms for 2012; these documents define the party’s principles for the next four years:
“In order to improve the quality of healthcare for all Americans while reducing costs, the Party will continue its strong support for the rapid, nationwide adoption of Health Information Technology including electronic health records and secure health information exchange capabilities.”
