Improving Information On Price And Quality To Make Health Care More Transparent

Americans Should Be Able To Easily Obtain Understandable Information About The Price And Quality Of Health Care. The President urges medical providers and insurance companies to make information about prices and quality readily available to all Americans prior to the time of service or treatment.

Improving Health Information Technology (IT)


The Administration Is Working To Expand The Use Of Health IT To Lower Costs, Reduce Medical Errors, And Improve Quality Of Care. In 2004, the President launched an initiative to make electronic health records available to most Americans within the next 10 years. We have already seen the Veterans Health Administration and private-sector health systems use information technology to increase quality, encourage savings, and reduce errors. With electronic health records, information needed to treat patients effectively will be a computer click away, no matter where the patient is receiving care. The Administration has taken steps towards improving health IT, including: establishing the position of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and providing $100 million to fund projects harmonizing standards for electronic information exchange; developing certification criteria to ensure health IT investments meet proper standards; addressing privacy and security issues; and developing models for a national Internet-based health information system. Through the American Health Information Community (AHIC), the Administration and the private sector are building a common framework for implementing a nationwide electronic health records system.

 

From the White House:

In 2006, The Administration Will Work To Develop Nationwide Health IT Standards To Accelerate Patient Access To Electronic Health Records. This includes a "medical clipboard" that can only be accessed with the patient's consent, electronic medication history and lab results, and ways to utilize health information tools to monitor potential disease outbreaks such as pandemic influenza.