On October 11, 2005, more than 600 individuals, including consumer and patient advocates, leaders in health care, business, and government participated in the first conference ever to focus solely on the empowerment of patients and health care consumers through health information technology (IT). Conference participants discussed:
- Newly proposed consumer principles designed to put more power in the hands of Americans who wish to participate in their own health care through health IT.
- The role of personal health records and other emerging technologies, including nationwide electronic health information exchange.
- How health IT may help us share information quickly without compromising our privacy.
- Legislative and private sector proposals that would affect how individual Americans access personal health records and other emerging health information technologies.
- Newly released public opinion data about health IT.
Background
From iPods to online commerce to "googling" to swapping digital photos via e-mail, information technology is revolutionizing our lives and allowing us to tailor what we see, read, hear, buy, and sell. Health care is no exception. Information technology (IT) is rapidly and radically changing how we experience health care in the United States.
Health IT is enabling some patients to communicate better with their doctors, manage their own medical information, and improve the care they receive.
Some hospitals, health plans, and medical practices are storing patient records, CT scans, and other medical images on computers, making them easier to find.
Health IT is on the cusp of allowing patients and authorized physicians to gain timely access to personal health information through electronic health information exchange. Health IT will soon enable patients to learn about the quality of their doctors, hospitals, and other providers online.
Much more change is on the way as health care is revolutionized by digital technology.
