Web Conference
This Web-assisted audio teleconference series consisted of three events
broadcast on July 25, 26, and August 1, 2001, via the World Wide Web and telephone. The program was designed to help State and local policymakers make policy decisions and allocate resources related to health care informatics. The User Liaison Program (ULP) of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) developed and sponsored the program.
Select to access audio and slides for the conference.
While listening to the streaming audio, you can access the individual
PowerPoint® slide presentations and manually move through the slides referred
to by each presenter. There are text versions of each slide
presentation and the entire audio portion of the conference (in Microsoft® Word®), which are available by selecting the indicated links.
A complete set of audio tapes of the conference is also available for $10.00
through the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295. Ask for AHRQ01-AV11A,
"The Next Revolution: The Role of Informatics in Improving Health Care."
Program Overview
One of the most salient developments in our society in recent years has been
the incredible advances made in the field of information technology. For most
of us, these developments have changed our personal and professional lives.
They are also having a significant impact on health care—how it is provided,
how providers get information and treat patients, and how consumers access health
care and health care information. As a result, State and local health policymakers
may need to rethink their roles and responsibilities in regard to these issues.
The health care field has the potential to benefit greatly from innovative
applications of new health care information technology. For example,
online access to health information, integrated electronic medical records,
and computer-based information systems can provide practitioners with real-time
assistance in their decisionmaking and significantly improve quality of care
and patient safety. These technologies also have the potential to lower health
care costs. The potential for improvement may be even greater for health care
systems, because the health care industry lags behind many others in the application
of new information technologies due to the system's longstanding reliance on
provider-entered pen and paper recordkeeping.
For State and local policymakers, developments in health care informatics not
only bring exciting opportunities, but some very real challenges. Implementing
health care informatics technologies raises difficult questions they must address:
- What specific health care informatics applications are most likely to have
the greatest impact on my State's health care delivery system, the performance
of public health care programs, and, ultimately, the health and safety of
the residents of my State or local area?
- What health services research exists regarding the impact of specific health
care informatics applications on the cost, quality, and safety of health care
delivery systems?
- How can I systematically assess the multitude of informatics strategies
and systems proposed for my support, adoption, or funding and avoid the uncritical
pursuit of the "latest and greatest" technological advances?
- How do I assess what is the most appropriate role for my State or locality
in supporting specific health care informatics applications shown to offer
real benefits?
To assist State and local health officials make policy decisions and allocate
resources related to informatics, AHRQ offered this series of three audio teleconferences.
Programs
The Potential Impact of Clinical Informatics on Health Care Costs, Quality,
and Safety
Length: 97 minutes (Audio [RealAudio®], 11.9 MB; Transcript.
Presentations
Using Informatics to Improve Program Performance: Examples of Innovative State
Applications
Length: 86 minutes (Audio [RealAudio®], 10.6 MB; Transcript.
Presentations
Getting Information into the Hands of Decisionmakers: Innovative Applications
and Issues
Length: 88 minutes (Audio [RealAudio®], 10.8 MB; Transcript.
Presentations
Software Requirements
PowerPoint® files can be viewed with Microsoft® PowerPoint® or with a free PowerPoint® Viewer.
Word® files can be viewed in Microsoft® Word® or with a free Word® Viewer.
Audio files are available to users with a 28.8K or 56K modem or a T1 line with
an Internet connection. You also need speakers on your computer and the appropriate
software installed to be able to access the respective audio files provided.
To listen to the RealAudio® 5.0 format, you will need RealPlayer installed on
your computer. To download a free player, go to http://www.real.com and select Download the
Free RealOne Player. Check the minimum requirements for each for your system.
Follow the instructions provided for download and installation. If you are
unsure of where you saved it on your computer, select "Start" on your navigation
bar, then "Find," and search for "Real." When you find the folder, look for
the "Set-Up" box, select that, and the installation will begin.
Current as of August 2001
Internet Citation:
The Next Revolution: The Role of Informatics in Improving Health Care. Web Conference, broadcast on July 25, 26, and August 1, 2001. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulp/informat/informat.htm
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850