We can find a way to improve the system

Information technology has transformed many industries over the past few decades, but the health care system has lagged behind. As you may have experienced, there is still a great deal of inefficiency in how health care is delivered in the US.

Think for a moment:

• When was the last time you went to a new doctor and were handed a clipboard with yet another health history form for you to fill out by hand?
• Have you ever been sent to a lab or diagnostic center more than once for the same test because your original results could not be located?
• Has a loved one ever been injured by an avoidable medical error?

At AstraZeneca, we believe that large-scale, coordinated use of technology can greatly impact the way that patients, providers, employers, insurance companies, health plans, and other stakeholders collaborate to cost-effectively deliver the best care possible to the largest number of people. Technologies such as electronic prescriptions and electronic medical records enable the fast, secure, and accurate communication necessary to reduce paperwork—and mistakes.

We believe that expanding and connecting health information technology systems are important next steps in the process of providing affordable, consistently high-quality health care services in this country. That’s why AstraZeneca participates in the following programs:

• Bridges to Excellence™

  This group brings together employers, physicians, health plans, and patients and creates programs that change behavior through incentives tied to higher-quality health care (see more information in the Better Coordination of Care section). One aspect of this program also rewards physicians for their use of technology to support better patient care.

• eHealth Initiative

  AstraZeneca is a member of the eHealth Initiative (eHI), an independent, nonprofit, affiliated organization whose mission is to drive improvement in the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care through information and information technology.

• E-prescribing standards

  The Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 will provide a prescription drug benefit for Medicare patients starting in 2006. MMA also recommends the voluntary use of electronic prescriptions. However, before “e-prescriptions” can be implemented nationally, technical standards and uniform policies must be established so that e-prescription systems around the US can “talk” to each other.

  AstraZeneca has been very active in helping to guide the development of these standards, working with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Committee on Vital Health Statistics (NCVHS). These groups are part of the US Department of Health & Human Services, and they oversee the development of these national standards and common rules for electronic prescribing.

• Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)

  Founded in 1961, HIMSS represents more than 20,000 individual members and over 300 member corporations that employ millions of people working in the field of health care information systems. HIMSS leads health care public policy and industry best practices through its advocacy, educational, and professional development programs designed to promote information and management systems' contributions to high-quality patient care. HIMSS works to advance the best use of technology systems to improve health care.