The State of Health IT in America: Thinking About the Bipartisan Policy Center Report on Health IT

Just how solid is political support for health IT these days, then? An important report, Transforming Health Care: The Role of Health IT, from the Bipartisan Policy Center Task Force on Delivery System Reform and Health IT published in January 2012, talks about the gaps and obstacles to achieving an interoperable, accessible health IT infrastructure.

The numerous challenges include:

• Misaligned incentives, driven by the volume-based health care payment model (discussed in Health Populi on January 31, 2012)
• Lack of health information exchange between health care providers and stakeholders
• Limited level of consumer engagement via electronic tools for self-care management
• Limited levels of EHR adoption, and particularly “meaningful use” by providers..