OVERVIEW
The effective use of IT in health care presents an opportunity to move critical medical information
where and when it is needed in a secure and private manner. The Markle Foundation's Health program is
dedicated to ensuring that the primary beneficiary of this opportunity is the patient. Bringing
electronic connectivity to health care has the potential to empower patients by allowing them to control
their own medical records in a secure and private manner. Medical records could be accessible according
to the needs of the patient, accessible even if the patient changes doctors, hospitals or health insurers.
Such a system would allow patients to become more active participants in their own health care, creating
a new and powerful partnership between patients and physicians. In addition, such a system would also
improve the quality of care, reduce medical errors and help stabilize the rapidly rising costs of health
care.
However, a number of challenges must be overcome to enable the health care industry and patients to really
take advantage of the full power of modern technology. These barriers include the lack of
interoperability between systems, privacy concerns, the fragmented nature of the industry, misaligned
incentives and a legal framework that may not facilitate the use of IT. The Markle Health program works
to eliminate these barriers so that we can realize information technology's potential to improve health
and health care for every individual.
CONNECTING FOR HEALTH
Over the last few years, Connecting for Health has played a key role in Markle's health strategy.
Connecting for Health
is a public-private collaborative designed to address the barriers to
development of an interconnected health information infrastructure. The ability to deliver medical
information where and when it is needed in a private and secure manner will help to improve the
quality of care, reduce medical errors, lower costs and empower patients.
The first phase of the Collaborative's work drove consensus on the adoption of an initial set
of data standards, developed case studies on privacy and security and helped define the electronic
personal health record (PHR). Connecting for Health is currently working to develop an incremental
Roadmap intended to lay out near-term actions necessary to achieving electronic connectivity. To
carry out its work, Connecting for Health has organized several working groups focusing on understanding
the business and organizational issues of community-based information exchange, the issues relevant
to sharing electronic information with patients, and several aspects of technical interoperability.
Connecting for Health was established by the Markle Foundation and receives additional funding and
support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
More about Connecting for Health.
More Health projects.
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