Vision for a Principled Redesign of Health Information Technology

Steven E. Waldren, MD, Deborah J. Cohen, PhD, Jacob M. Reider, MD, Jewell P. Carr, MD and Ciarán A. DellaFera, MD | Annals of Family Medicine | May 15, 2017

The mission for Family Medicine for America’s Health (FMAHealth) is to help people live healthier. To support this, a goal of the FMAHealth Technology Tactic Team is to envision a future state that involves the principled redesign and implementation of health information technology (IT) that optimally supports the health and health care of the US populace.

Compared to other nations, the US health care system offers higher cost, lower quality health care to its people. The “Triple Aim” goals of better health, better quality, and better value have been prominent features of the national, state, and local policy work to realign the health care system, but the path to success is long and must navigate complex social, cultural, political, and economic barriers.

To support and promote the health of our nation, health professionals must develop meaningful relationships with the people, families, and communities they serve. Technology has great potential to help foster connections and relationships among health care professionals, individuals, and communities, and to be a catalyst instead of the barrier it frequently is today. In addition to putting up barriers to achieving the Triple Aim, the poor usability and utility is resulting in health IT contributing to the growing problem of physician burnout...