| In his Plan for a Healthy America, Presidential | | | | electronic medical records so that we can cut red |
| candidate Barack Obama called for lowering costs | | | | tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help save |
| through investment in electronic health information | | | | billions of dollars each year." |
| systems at the Federal level, acknowledging that | | | | As President Obama's February 2009 stimulus |
| paper-based medical records are cumbersome | | | | package neared its historic passage, the President |
| and error-prone. In several of his stump | | | | gave a speech in Washington, D.C. continuing his |
| speeches, he drummed home the point that | | | | clarion call for providing electronic patient records |
| processing paper claims was also twice as | | | | throughout the United States within the next five |
| expensive. While still a candidate, he pledged to | | | | years. Explained the President in the impressive |
| invest $10 billion a year through 2013 to move the | | | | oratory style that has already come to define |
| U.S. health care system, a juggernaut if there | | | | him, "To improve the quality of our health care |
| ever was one, towards a broad adoption of | | | | while lowering its cost, we will make the |
| standards-based electronic health care systems, | | | | immediate investments necessary to ensure that |
| including electronic health records. | | | | within five years, all of America's medical records |
| In his December 8, 2008, radio address, | | | | are computerized. This will cut waste, eliminate |
| President-elect Obama discussed his extensive | | | | red tape, and reduce the need to repeat |
| plans for stimulating the economy. Included in his | | | | expensive medical tests. But it just won't save |
| plans was a significant investment in EMRs. "In | | | | billions of dollars and thousands of jobs - it will |
| addition to connecting our libraries and schools to | | | | save lives by reducing the deadly, but |
| each other through the internet, we must | | | | preventable, medical errors that pervade our |
| modernize our health care system. This won't just | | | | health care system." |
| save jobs - it will save lives. We will make sure | | | | On this issue of EMR, Barack Obama has |
| that every doctor's office and hospital in this | | | | remained as steadfast as a straight arrow. |
| country is using cutting edge technology and | | | | |