Bloomberg Takes On Health Care

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel at the National Health Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. At this annual event jointly sponsored by AcademyHealth and Health Affairs, our panel focused on the current status of technology in health delivery systems.

The topic and the excellent presentations by the panelists -- Shannah Koss from Avalere Health, Janet Marchibroda from eHealth Initiative, and Jim Morrow from North Fulton Family Medicine -- all pointed to a growing appetite for change and the strategic importance of health information technology as a lever to flip our system from intervention to prevention.

Perhaps most notable at the event was New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s keynote address. In it, he called for "sweeping changes in health care financing through new use of information technology and a new focus on prevention." He should know. More than two decades ago, his company revolutionized the financial sector by applying a unique blend of real-time information management and new media platforming, which together "sold connectivity." I believe he could do the same for health care. His speech is well worth reading.

Next stop for Bloomberg? How about HHS? Thoughts?