Technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton recently released a report called “Toward Health Information Liquidity: Realization of Better, More Efficient Care From the Free Flow of Health Information”. It essentially calls for health information technology initiatives to place greater emphasis on information sharing instead of electronic health records and other technologies.

The study has particular resonance for us here at MEDecision because it reflects a theory we’ve been touting for quite some time. Our position has long been that the most important component of the health information technology equation is information, not necessarily technology.  In fact, this is one of the very principles upon which MEDecision was founded over 20 years ago, and something about which I’ve written and spoken publicly numerous times over the years.

In order for health information technology to have its greatest impact, the sharing of information must be our primary concern — not the technologies through which that information sharing occurs. For example, at MEDecision we’re extremely proud of our Clinical Summaries. They are among the most advanced payer-based electronic health records currently available. To deploy them, physicians and other care providers simply need a computer with an Internet connection. The focus is primarily on gathering patient information and getting it into the hands of providers where and when they need it so they can make better clinical decisions. Unquestionably technology plays a tremendous role in what we do, but it’s not the primary driver. Information is.

As I have stated on numerous occasions, if we start sharing clinical information through simple means, stakeholders will come to appreciate and, ultimately, depend on the greater wealth of data at their disposal. They will realize its value and be more apt to share their own clinical data and to invest in more complex technologies that enable them to do so more effectively and efficiently.

As we progress toward real health care reform and rely on health information technology to lead the way, it is important that we keep in mind the findings of the Booz Allen Hamilton report. If we focus on technology over information we may make the journey more difficult than it needs to be.