Transforming Healthcare with Information Technology

Health IT for rural providers is a key element of the President’s national healthcare agenda, and is supported through numerous efforts at Department of Health and Human Services agencies including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), as well as the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONCHIT). Health IT has great potential to transform care in the United States, particularly in rural areas, due to its power to bridge communication gaps between remote providers, enhancing patient safety and outcomes. Health IT is a quickly developing field, with great opportunity for new projects starting up, and a wide range of options available for a given group of providers. Joy Keeler, Deputy Director of the AHRQ National Resource Center for Health Information Technology, will discuss the state of the field of health IT, benefits and options for rural providers, and the business case for investment in health IT systems.

(Powerpoint Presentation)