Wired for HealthCare Quality Act

Some interesting quotes from the Congressional Record this week:

• The RAND Corporation estimates, in its most conservative estimation, that a national, interoperable HIT system could save $81 billion per year.
• Our present Federal health care liability, if nothing changes, is $34 trillion.The number of uninsured Americans is climbing and will soon hit 50 million.
• We spend more of our country's GDP on health care than any other industrialized country: 16 percent--double the average of the EuropeanUnion.
• Local efforts around the country, such as the Rhode Island QualityInstitute, Washington State's Puget Sound Health Care Alliance, and Utah's Health Information Network, are leading the way.
  

If these numbers are anywhere near true, this demands our attention. And the HHS Strategic Plan sure has no shortage of actionable items with some hefty budget items to accompany it.