With the presidential election just a week away, we now have at least some idea of where the candidates stand on health information technology.

During the most recent debae a few weeks ago both Senator McCain and Senator Obama indicated that the use of health IT would be a part of their respective plans to improve the American health care system. Neither candidate elaborated beyond that, so we don’t know specifically what role IT would play or the extent to which each candidates’ plan is dependent upon it. But it certainly is promising to know that the next president of the United States — whomever it is — will not only be aware of, but perhaps actively advocating the use of technology to help bring change to the system.

It says a lot about the strides our industry has made in recent years in getting our message out there. Of course, it also helps that we’re able to back up that message with an array of technologies that really can change the face of health care as we know it. We have definitely made some considerable progress, but we still have a long way to go. It will be fascinating to see how a fresh face in the White House will impact the journey.