WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama released "a few key parts" of his economic recovery plan for "both Wall Street and Main Street" in a radio address aired on Dec. 6. Healthcare IT is included in Obama's plans for a "sweeping effort to modernize and upgrade."
"In addition to connecting our libraries and schools to the internet, we must also ensure that our hospitals are connected to each other through the internet," said Obama. "That is why the economic recovery plan I'm proposing will help modernize our healthcare system - and that won't just save jobs, it will save lives."
Obama and Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) healthcare platform includes a plan to roll out $10 billion per year for five years to help physicians and other providers adopt healthcare IT.
"We will make sure that every doctor's office and hospital in this country is using cutting edge technology and electronic medical records so that we can cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help save billions of dollars each year," Obama said.
Congress has been struggling to pass a healthcare IT adoption bill this year, but patient privacy has been one of the divisive issues.
In response to the patient privacy issue, Obama has said, "Regardless, [as] part of the standard setting process, I will work with the private sector to ensure that electronic records are available when needed, but also confidential and under patient control."
Obama says that the key parts of his economic recovery plan will be rolled out in the coming weeks.
"When Congress reconvenes in January, I look forward to working with them to pass a plan immediately. We need to act with the urgency this moment demands to save or create at least two and a half million jobs so that the nearly two million Americans who've lost them know that they have a future. And that's exactly what I intend to do as President of the United States."
No comments:
Post a Comment