Tech leaders release e-health roadmap.

Chief executives of the United States' leading high-tech companies say that building a networked healthcare system is a national imperative and called on policymakers, U.S. businesses, and healthcare providers to develop the policies, standards, and systems needed to make it a reality. The Technology CEO Council, a public policy advocacy organization composed of chief executive officers (CEOs) from leading information technology companies, said modernizing our healthcare system by connecting health information between doctors, patients, pharmacies, and labs is critical not only to improve our nation's healthcare system, but also to improve global competitiveness.

The Technology CEO Council's "A Healthy System" report and "E-Health Readiness Guide" provide a roadmap and policy recommendations on how to implement information management into the healthcare system and milestones to measure progress.

"Many of the problems with the U.S. healthcare system were exposed after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita when paper health records were lost and victims were unable to access their health information or provide complete medical histories to caregivers," said Craig Barrett, chairman of the board of Intel Corp. and chairman of the Technology CEO Council.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The reports call for

* Providers, payers, and regulators to adopt interoperable technology and common data standards

* The federal government to drive change via market-based open standards and best practices in its own programs. Additionally, by 2007 the federal government should require federal agencies to receive and transmit health information electronically.

* Companies to base healthcare purchasing decisions on quality, value, and improved performance from providers and networks investing in measurement, accountability, and interoperability

* States to base Medicaid reimbursements on value, with additional incentives for health IT adoption. Additionally, states should foster the creation of regional health initiatives through loans, grants, and/or regional tax exempt bonding authority.

* Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement programs to pay for performance, providing incentives to foster higher quality, greater efficiency, and best practices

* Existing federal, state, and health network systems and practices to promote data sharing and protection of patient privacy