Participants included U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen and U.S. Reps. Marsha Blackburn and Jim Cooper.
"Today's symposium is about public and private organizations deepening their partnerships, and embracing approaches through which health care can be more effectively delivered and managed," said Dell CEO Kevin Rollins. "For that to happen, government at all levels must create new incentives for the adoption of more modern IT across America's health-care system, and businesses must take more initiative to drive change."
"Accelerating e-Health in Nashville" was hosted by Dell, in cooperation with the Nashville Technology Council, the Technology CEO Council (TCC) and the Tennessee chapter of the Healthcare Information Management Systems Symposium (HIMSS). Symposium attendees discussed recommendations for addressing challenges such as sharing clinical data, accelerating the success of regional health information organizations and facilitating provider adoption of health care IT.
"Health information technology has the potential to transform the quality of health care available for all Tennesseans," said Governor Bredesen. "I am proud of the role that Tennessee is playing in the advancement and advocacy of electronic medical records. We are one of only five states that have received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to take this technology to the next level. Dell is a major corporate citizen here in Tennessee, and we appreciate the leadership role that they have taken in this arena."
Dell, as part of the TCC, last year launched a report titled "A Healthy System: How improved information management can transform the quality, efficiency and value of Americans' health care."
TCC members use the report to emphasize the importance of creating dialogue between policy makers, industry leaders and communities to transform the U.S. health care system.
