David C. Kibbe and Peter Neupert Now that the Obama administration and Congress have committed to spending billions of tax payers’ money on health IT as part of the economic stimulus package, it’s important to be clear about what consumers and patients...

The mad dash for health reform continues in earnest as stakeholders from all parts of the health ecosystem work to inform, engage and encourage the incoming Administration.   The need for reform is obvious and the dialog is positive -- I continue...

Yesterday, I testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee , otherwise known as HELP. You can see a video of my testimony here . Before getting to the substance, I need to highlight how I continue to be awe-inspired about...

So this week’s question from the Washington Post RX Blog was: Recent polls show declining support for President Obama's handling of the health-care issue. What should he do to get the effort back on track? My response is below. Today's...

Often when we talk about healthcare reform, it can be a rather abstract discussion -- you watch some tv show with ‘experts’ reflecting on some 20 page bill or hashing through the merits of a public insurance option. Last week, however, all the intellectual...

This week's question for the Washington Post Health Care Rx blog was: Last week, President Obama admonished insurance company executives for excessive rate increases. He is taking aim at them again in his speech in Philadelphia right now. How much...

Last night there was a question in the Presidential Debate on whether healthcare should be a privilege, a right or a responsibility in the U.S. McCain gave a nuanced answer -- but said it was a responsibility and Obama said he considers it a right for...

Today I spoke at a very well attended Health Affairs event in Washington DC -- originally designed (months ago in a different time warp in HIT light years) to discuss lessons learned by folks leveraging HIT in effective ways, along with the usual challenges...

(cross-posted on Microsoft on the Issues ) In 1987, President Ronald Reagan gave one of his most well remembered speeches . Few of us could forget his words to Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall”—proving to be prophetic when the German Democratic...

Over three years ago, we started on a journey -- to empower consumers with tools to help make better health decisions and drive better health outcomes. We believed that the simplest, easiest way to start was to give consumers their data in a secure and...

I commend the administration for shining the light on the need to improve health in America! While I want to be optimistic about change, I’m skeptical about how much real improvement we will really see under the guise of healthcare reform. Like I’ve noted...

I learned about the importance of diet and health very early in life as my Dad had his first heart attack when I was 12, and subsequently, my Mom made dramatic changes to our 1960’s diet at home. Since my college years, I’ve always been a bit of a health...

Last week, I continued my round the world itinerary visiting customers, partners, and governmental agencies. I took an overnight flight from London to Bangkok on a Saturday—the plane was full, primarily of tourists taking advantage of what Thailand has...

I love the fresh debate about standards and the evolution of Health IT raised by the three Health Affairs articles. I agree wholeheartedly with the perspectives of Carol and Clay - and frequently reinforce these comments to customers, policy makers and...

The latest turn in the healthcare debate is the increasingly sensational coverage of town halls happening across the country. While they’re described as rancorous and sometimes violent , I’m pleased to see my fellow Americans so passionate and involved...

I have spent some time over the past several weeks to read and get educated about various health reform proposals.   As can be expected - there is a lot of dialog on this topic given the political season.    Health Affairs has...

Today is Election Day in the United States -- I hope eligible citizens perform their civic duty and vote!   The headlines and pundits are calling this an historic election and many of us are wondering what the election results will mean for...

Today the MSM had a good article from one of the premier journalists covering health, Milt Freudenheim about a CMS pilot project around the "medical home" -- which is simply a vehicle to motivate primary care doctors to provide 'better' care to patients...

The current hot, behind-the-scenes, debate in HIT is around how “meaningful use” of HIT will be defined for purposes of the incentive payments provided in the HiTech portion of ARRA . Since there is a lot of money at stake and a lot of interested stakeholders...

For my latest thoughts on consumer engagement and its relation to health care reform, please see my contribution to the Harvard Business Review Conversation Starter blog .

This week's question for the Washington Post Health Care Rx blog was: What does the debate over mammography screening teach us about the challenges in moving to evidence-based medicine in a revamped health system? The debate truly highlights...

So this week’s question from the Washington Post RX Blog was: What's Your Take On Obama's Speech? What did you think of President Barack Obama's Sept. 9 speech to a joint session of Congress? Was it effective? Did it "move the needle?" My response...

I think we’d all agree that the healthcare debate continues to intensify. Many say it has entered a new stage as conversations move to proposals -- with Senate Democrats recommending a bill that will amplify the debate even more -- to decide if the US...

We’re just wrapping up our annual Connected Health Conference. I wanted to share some insights and observations from the past three days. We had 925 attendees representing 409 organizations -- attendance more than doubled from last year, which is pretty...

After many long months of discussion and debate , the first draft of Meaningful Use has come out. I’m optimistic about what I see -- what’s been laid out seems to focus on driving real outcomes improvement in the health care system. It’s important...