Information therapy conference shows how far we need to go

At the 4th Information Therapy conference in Park City, UT, the first two keynote speakers had different but consistent takes on the lack of available information for consumers and providers, and its negative impact. Patient advocate Susan Sheridan's son was not given a simple test and his jaundice turned into brain damage and the debilitating life-time condition, Kernicterus. She, by force of will, put a patient group together and changed the law in many states to get the $1 dollar "billi" test mandatory for newborns.

Meanwhile, another keynoter was Roger Holstein, recent ex-CEO of WebMD Health. While the Internet has changed the way consumers access information, Holstein was critical of the slow start the health care system has made to presenting information to consumers. He called for a health care system based around the consumer (and the consumer portal), where objective outcomes and costs information will be available about providers, procedures and institutions. He believes that the time is right for that information to improve decision making, drive consumer behavior, and drive improved quality and simultaneously lower costs.

See the PICK Web site about the Billiruben test
See the report from The Health Care Blog on Sheridan
See the report from The Health Care Blog on Holstein

Post a comment