ABSTRACT
Delivery of publicly funded healthcare is at the nexus of three conflicting objectives: (1) increasing access to care; (2) improving the quality of care; and (3) sustaining its public financing. This article demonstrates that with tools such as health technology assessment (HTA) evidence informed policy and decision-malting (as opposed to following doctrine, habit or expert opinion) access, quality and sustainability do not need to be mutually exclusive. A structure and approach for adopting and advancing HTA in healthcare organizations is provided. Policy recommendations are suggested.
Subject(s)
Decision Making, Organizational , Evidence-Based Medicine , Technology Assessment, Biomedical , HumansABSTRACT
Achieving effective health informatics interoperability in a fragmented and uncoordinated health system is by definition not possible. Interoperability requires the simultaneous integration of health care processes and information across different types and levels of care (systems thinking). The fundamental argument of this paper is that information system interoperability will remain an unfulfilled hope until health reforms effectively address the governance (accountability), structural and process barriers to interoperability of health care delivery. The ascendency of Web 2.0 and 3.0, although still unproven, signals the opportunity to accelerate patients' access to health information and their health record. Policy suggestions for simultaneously advancing health system delivery and information system interoperability are posited.
