Silicon Valley Health IT Forum | Bayosphere

Silicon Valley Health IT Forum Bayosphere: "What do Steve Case, Esther Dyson, Newt Gingrich and Hillary Clinton have in common? They all believe in the Internet's power to transform American healthcare system into the 21st Century.
Healthcare biggest US industry at over $1.5 trillion per year.

The worst thing is that the incentives are misaligned. The current system penalizes physicians and hospitals for providing high-quality care and keeps the money rolling in for those who do not do their best. Emerging Pay-for-Performance programs are seen as the potential cure.The ailments of the health system have spurred the efforts in both public and private sectors. President Bush created the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONCHIT) to drive the nationwide adoption efforts with the goal of giving every American a digital health record in 10 years. Congress is considering a flurry of Health IT legislation.

Still, it is the private sector and entrepreneurial spirit that historically had been the most successful in effecting real change. Revolution Health, Steve Case?s recently announced venture, may serve as an early high-profile validation of the sector. The holding company approach of Revolution makes sense for someone trying to get hundreds of millions invested. Yet, many smaller targeted business opportunities abound. Esther Dyson?s recent report Personal Health Information: Data Comes Alive! is one of the early technology analyst?s attempts to make sense of the sector.