NASHVILLE – During a Nashville Health Care Council panel discussion on the future and current state of health care information technology (HIT), Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the time is now for rapid change in the industry.
Ballmer joined fellow panelists Harry Greenspun, M.D., chief medical officer, Dell Perot Systems; George Lazenby, CEO, Nashville-based Emdeon; and Glen Tullman, CEO, Allscripts in a lively discussion about technology-enabled advancements in health care, business opportunities and adoption as a result of federal HIT incentives and stimulus funds, and potential “game-changers” in the HIT space. The lunchtime panel, which attracted more than 450 to the Nashville Downtown Hilton, was moderated by Brad Perkins, M.D., executive vice president for Strategy and Innovation and chief transformation officer, Vanguard Health Systems.
“‘The time is now’ is the theme for all kinds of different reasons,” said Ballmer. “Technology lets us do things we couldn’t previously do. I’m optimistic that the advances we’ve made will actually help our platforms to enable innovation and transformation in the industry and to step up and make a difference.”
Nashville’s health care leaders heard from panelists on the importance of leadership in community level innovation, a focus on the patient, consumer incentives to drive greater use of electronic medical records, standards for meaningful use of technology in the delivery system and stimulus funding. Panelists said change must be made incrementally even though transformation of the nation’s health care system promises to be rapid; especially in the wake of federal stimulus dollars.
“What we are witnessing is the beginning of the single largest transformation we have seen in the history of our country in a major industry,” Tullman said.
Click here for more insight from today’s CEO panelists and hear what they said about Nashville’s role as the for-profit health care industry capital.
“Nashville continues to be a leader in health IT policy and implementation,” said Nashville Health Care Council President Caroline Young. “More than 300 health care companies call Nashville home, including strong representation from the health IT sector. This city is widely recognized as an important voice in furthering health care innovation”
About the Nashville Health Care Council
The Nashville Health Care Council, founded in 1995 as an initiative of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, is an association of health care industry leaders working together to further establish Nashville’s position as the nation’s health care industry capital. For more information on the Council, please visit www.healthcarecouncil.com.