Just read a great article by Lucas Mearian in Computerworld. Last year’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to digitize medical records over the next five years is motivating and mobilizing the entire industry in a way it hasn’t been before. We, as the health information technology industry, have a lot of work ahead of us but we are poised to play a considerable role in facilitating EHR adoption. Allowing the real-time exchange of actionable clinical data among all healthcare stakeholders — to put smart patient data in the hands of users where they want it, whenever they want it and to enable them to utilize it regardless of technical platform —plays a pivotal role in healthcare’s technological transformation.

The technologies and approaches built on a patient-aware philosophy will be the most successful. Patient-aware solutions are those that put the patient at the center of the healthcare universe. They provide all stakeholders with mutual access to actionable, real-time information from throughout the healthcare ecosystem to create a deeper, richer understanding of patients and patient populations. This enables high-value, high-quality interactions that can improve care, streamline operational and administrative efficiencies and reduce medical costs.

Understandably, showing meaningful use through EHR technology can be a bit intimidating. By working together through new and innovative partnerships and alliances, it really seems as if we as an industry can bring real improvements to the healthcare system, and still make President Obama’s goal of creating EHRs for all Americans by 2014 a very realistic one.