What the Inauguration Means to Me
The inauguration of Barack Obama is a historic event that has generated excitement across the country. I watched the pre-inaugural events this weekend and our nation has high expectations of this president. The problems that our country faces are mind blogging. The economic collapse, housing crisis, banking crisis and two wars are all issues that Americans expect the new president to solve.
Whenever a new president takes office, we are filled with hope for the future. Obama's campaign strategy was build around change and hope for the future. He made promises to the American people that helped get him elected. He promised healthcare reform, access to healthcare for all Americans and to end the war in Iraq just to name a few.
As I think about what Obama's inauguration means to me as a health information professional, the transformation of the healthcare system will play a major part. We all know that our healthcare system is in need of major reform. Those of us who work in healthcare see our emergency rooms being used as primary care by those Americans that don't have access to affordable healthcare. We see emergency rooms not staffed to handle the number of patients that seek treatment. We see shrinking revenue for hospitals and other providers that care for patients. We see the administrative and health information costs associated with a paper driven system that add to the cost of providing healthcare. Obama has stated that he plans to invest in health information technology to reduce the cost of healthcare. For health information professionals, this is an issue near and dear to our heart. We all know how cumbersome a paper based system can be.
I have to admit that I am skeptical that health information technology will be a priority in the Obama administration. With the current economic crisis, I don't think that this is a commitment the new president can make. Most Americans are more concerned about other issues to push Obama on this issue. Health information professionals will have to push for major reform to make this dream a reality.