Candidates Could Tap Strong Support by Differentiating HIT Plans
Would you be more likely to vote for a presidential candidate if he or she vowed support for creation of a nationwide health information network (NHIN)?
If you answered yes, you're among a strong coalition, according to survey results released Feb. 19 by Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). Seventy percent of respondents said they would vote for a NHIN supporter, according to CSC, which commissioned Kelton Research to survey 1,000 Americans aged 18 and older between Jan. 31 and Feb. 5.
The survey, which explores people's voting tendencies and attitudes related to health IT (HIT) during a presidential election year, has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.
Candidates should note that enabling electronic access to medical records is especially important among young, tech-savvy voters. Survey results indicate that 84 percent of those aged 18-24 would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports creation of a NHIN, compared to 68 percent of Americans over the age of 25.
However, candidates have not yet capitalized on gaining mindshare among NHIN proponents. More than two-thirds (67 percent) of those surveyed have never heard presidential candidates discuss HIT or electronic health records (EHRs).
Robert Wah, MD, chief medical officer for CSC's North American Public Sector business unit, told ADVANCE during a phone interview that he expects candidates to be more explicit about their proposed HIT initiatives as the campaign progresses: "It will be interesting to see how they address this issue. Particularly, will they be able to talk about how they would push for national standards in the IT world? How would they increase or enhance adoption of HIT? And how would they establish a nationwide health information network, where information could flow securely from place to place to improve patient care, decrease duplication, lower expenses, reduce medical errors and enhance quality?"
Dr. Wah, a practicing physician specializing in reproductive endocrinology and fertility, devoted more than 23 years to public service in the military health system and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Prior to joining CSC, Dr. Wah served as acting deputy national coordinator for HIT under Dr. David Brailer at HHS.
"By providing better information that enables patients, doctors, health care institutions and the government to make better decisions, health IT can dramatically improve the quality of patient care, saving lives and money," Dr. Wah commented. "To address the problems of our health care system, the next president will have to look to IT for sustainable solutions."
The CSC survey results concur with some findings from a 2005 Rand study, which showed that the U.S. health care system could save more than $81 billion annually and improve the quality of care if electronic records were adopted. EHR benefits cited in the CSC survey include the following:
- sixty percent of survey respondents believe that patient care can be improved with rapid, secure access to individual health records, especially in the event of an unexpected crisis such as a biological or chemical attack;
- thirty-six percent believe EHRs lead to fewer hospital errors; and
- forty-eight percent believe EHRs will lead to decreased costs and hassle.
And the value of HIT doesn't stop with EHRs, according to the survey. In fact, three out of four (77 percent) respondents recognize that a national system can address some of the United States' most critical health issues, such as improving the quality of patient care (60 percent); facilitating faster and better medical research (43 percent); ensuring a quicker response during a national crisis, such as epidemics or biological and chemical attacks (39 percent); ensuring that government health care programs deliver the highest quality at the lowest costs (29 percent); and decreasing fraud (28 percent).
Dr. Wah declined to comment on individual candidates' HIT plans and proposals, but remarked that voters should watch for how they differentiate themselves as we head into the decisive stages of the election process. "If we have a leader who can address national standards and adoption of interoperable health IT, and establish a nationwide health information network, that candidate will further the ability of health IT to really start helping people."
He concluded, "That's what I've been advocating for a long time...getting health IT out there to provide better information for better decisions for better health care."