Bill Clinton: “I am delighted to be working on this very important national initiative with the majority leader because we are at a…”

“I am delighted to be working on this very important national initiative with the majority leader because we are at a pivotal moment. Pockets of innovation and investment are developing all over the country. In my State, places like Rochester, NY, and in the majority leader's State, the Tri-Cities region of Tennessee, health care providers, employers and community groups are beginning the process of building a health information technology network. That is a positive first step, but it could be either a last step or a misstep because to truly achieve the promise of health information technology, we must ensure that these efforts do not become silos. In other words, there is one system for every hospital, one system for every clinical practice. They cannot talk to each other. So a person goes to one doctor. Their doctor is in New York, but they travel to Tennessee to visit friends, they are in an accident, and nobody knows how to get the information that will give them the best possible treatment. So if we do this right, this comprehensive legislation will create a health information technology framework that improves quality, protects patient privacy and ensures interoperability through the adoption of health IT standards and quality measures. We are marrying technology and quality to create a seamless, efficient health care system for the 21st century.…”