“Recognizing the challenges presented by the current state of our economy and national discussions about healthcare reform, Booz Allen Hamilton and the Federation of American Hospitals have collaborated to examine the ways that health information technology, in combination with communications technology (hereafter referred to simply as health IT), can accelerate progress toward the goal of a patient-centered healthcare system.
We engaged thought leaders from across the different segments of the healthcare industry to discuss ways to accelerate progress toward the free flow of essential electronic health information. This group of invested stakeholders from the provider community, academia, the technology industry, and government concluded that consumers, clinicians, and providers all derive greater benefits when health information flows faster and more freely, or becomes more “liquid.” Growing evidence indicates that liquid health information can facilitate improvements in healthcare access, quality, safety, efficiency, convenience, and outcomes. At the same time, it can open the door to innovation and provide a foundation for a new standard of patient-centered care through enhanced use of healthcare teams and informatics.”
Report
Susan Penfield, Kristine Martin Anderson, Margo Edmund, and Mark Belanger, Booz Allen Hamilton, 12 January 2009
