Daily Camera Op-Ed: BCH CIO Michael Jefferies et al. Call For Information Technology Legislation to Improve Healthcare System

Information technology drives improved quality, lower costs, and higher productivity across almost every industry. Health care is no exception. Information technology, unlike most other political topics, garners widespread bipartisan support, yet legislative action lags the fast-growing opportunities for information technology to improve our health care system.

Last week was National Health IT week, so this is a great time to reflect on how we can support policies and legislation that enable providers to adopt health information technology. Key areas requiring action include:

• Growing and improving the Colorado network infrastructure for digital access to health-care information.

• Expanding reimbursement for electronic tele-health that extends access to health care for less mobile and rural citizens.

• Requiring electronic health record conformance with standards that allow providers to seamlessly exchange patient records.

• Funding cyber-security support for providers to protect confidential patient information.

Before the next election, the Colorado Heath Information Management Systems Society (CHIMSS) invites you to visit colorado.himsschapter.org where you can learn more about opportunities to improve our health-care system through health-care information technology.

Michael Jefferies

chief information officer, Boulder Community Health

Louisville

Jeffrey Pelot

chief information officer, Denver Health

Westminster

Patrick Guffey

president, CHIMSS

Denver

C.T. Lin

chief medical information officer, UC Health

Denver

Sharon Kirby

chief nursing informatics officer, Centura Health

Centennial