Healthcare It

2-2 Blog: Leaders in Healthcare IT

Research cutting-edge leaders in the healthcare IT industry. In a blog entry titled “Leaders in Healthcare IT,” answer the following questions: Who are they? What have they accomplished?

The main goals of Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) are to improve the quality of healthcare, expand the efficiency of healthcare services, and increase access to medical treatment to people in remote areas. Healthcare IT covers a wide range of clinical, administrative, diagnostic, and educational activities that can cut down the cost of healthcare delivery, help prevent disease and decrease the cost of the healthcare system in the US. Today's health IT leaders must balance practical realities with a sense of purpose (Murphy). They're in healthcare to cure the sick and keep people healthy, and they believe IT can help improve care and lower the costs (Murphy). A few leaders in Health IT include:

1. Barack Obama, President of the United States - Obama Care provides affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system, and uses existing providers, doctors, and plans. Under the Obama Care, patients will be able to make health care decisions with their doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureaucrats.

2. James Turnbull, CIO, University of Utah Hospitals & Clinics- Supervised the implementation of electronic health records and computerized physician order entry systems at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Florida and at the Children's Hospital in Denver. Turnbull led the team to successfully bring the ordering system live.

3. Dr. Carol Steltenkamp, Chief Medical Information Officer of University of Kentucky HealthCare- Dr. Steltenkamp positioned the academic health system as a leader in IT since she arrived in 2006. UK HealthCare became the first organization in the U.S. to get a bonus Medicaid check for Meaningful Use.

4. Michael O'Rourke, CIO, Catholic Health...