Health IT Taking Flight – What Is in Store for the Year Ahead

Earlier this month, I wrote about some of the most important and notable highlights in the world of health IT and ONC over the past year. The achievements of 2011 built on hard work and progress, which has been underway for many years.The HITECH Act is helping to accelerate this momentum—like a turbocharger in a racecar.

As we start the New Year, I am excited about what the future holds and want to share what I see as five big health IT trends for the year to come.

Meaningful Use Takes Off. We sometimes refer to the stages of Meaningful Use as an escalator because it will get more rigorous and sophisticated over time. We might equally call it the necessary foundation upon which to build a truly 21st Century health system where care is better coordinated, patient-centered, safer, and where we pay for the right care, not just more care. Successfully attesting to Meaningful Use will not by itself achieve these goals, but it does help ensure providers have the right information at the right time so patients get the right care...