No Small Change for the Health Information Economy

The economic stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama on February 17 included a 19 billion investment in health information technology. How can we best take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity to computerize health care and stimulate the health information economy while also stimulating the U. S. economy? A health care system adapting to the effects of an aging population, growing expenditures, and a diminishing primary care workforce needs the support of a flexible information infrastructure that facilitates innovation in wellness, health care, and public health. Flexibility is critical, since the system will have to function under new policies and in. . .