Poll of HIMSS08 Attendees Shows Clinton Dichotomy
Before the polls closed on March 4 -- primary day in Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont -- this item hit my incoming e-mail bin...
According to over 600 health care executives polled at HIMSS08 last week in Orlando, Hillary Clinton is the presidential candidate who would most positively impact the health care industry. Yet, when also asked which candidate they'd vote for on Election Day, Clinton ranked third among the four remaining candidates.
John McCain topped Barack Obama as the most likely vote-getter on Election Day.
"We felt it was important to poll this select group of people -- individuals who truly understand the issues and challenges facing the health care industry today -- as to which presidential candidate they feel would have the greatest impact on health care," said Ralph Fargnoli, president and CEO of Beacon Partners, the company that administered the "Beacon Partners 2008 Presidential Healthcare Poll" onsite at HIMSS08.
"We find it fascinating that while they think Hillary will have the greatest impact on health care as president, these same individuals wouldn't necessarily vote for her," Fargnoli added.
Choosing from the current presidential candidates -- Hillary Clinton (D), Barack Obama (D), John McCain (R), or Mike Huckabee (R) -- here's how health care executives attending HIMSS08 responded to the following four questions via an electronic survey:
1) Which candidate do you believe will be the biggest advocate for health care IT adoption?
Clinton -- 43.2%
Obama -- 30.1%
McCain -- 20.7%
Huckabee -- 6.0%
2) Which candidate do you believe will have the most impact on empowering providers to deliver the best possible health care through the use of health care IT?
Clinton -- 34.2%
Obama -- 33.8%
McCain -- 26.4 %
Huckabee -- 5.6%
3) Which candidate do you believe has the best plan to improve health care quality and reduce health care costs?
Obama -- 32.9%
Clinton -- 32.1%
McCain -- 28.7%
Huckabee -- 6.3%
4) If today were Election Day, which candidate would you vote for?
McCain -- 35.6%
Obama -- 34.4%
Clinton -- 23.8%
Huckabee -- 6.3%