by Terry O'Neal-Cox MD

Created on: March 22, 2009

Can HIT Reduce Health Care Costs

Yesterday was the first day of spring, 2009. As usual, the season is marked by its predictable features, some beautiful and some not so beautiful.

The trees are starting to come alive, blossoms are everywhere, and the many floral colors are starting to make their annual appearance. The chirping of birds, without a care, begins a new day where the darkness and cold of winter transitions into the brighter and warmer days of summer. This beauty is accompanied by pollen induced allergic reactions, unpredictable weather patterns, and the dreaded knock at our financial doors, by the tax collector.

Spring, 2009 will be marked by several additional unpredicted events. These events may change, forever, the way we live in the United States of America. We are faced with continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; their outcome is still unpredictable. Our socio-political perception by the rest of the world, especially North Korea and Iran, is not good. The US's perception of the rest of the world is not that great either. We have a new government, headed by a new President, in every sense of the word, and worst of all, a rapidly failing global economy. Can our pineal gland remain awake long enough, as it performs its ritualistic circadian rhythmic dance, to waltz us through to victory in the battle over a multiplicity of unknowns?

The face of the leader in this battle is President Barack Obama, a man with all of the characteristics of a leader; but a man without any history of significant battles, fought or won, outside of overcoming racial identity to win the campaign for the US Presidency. In less than one hundred days since occupying the office of the President, Mr. Obama has certainly declared, and demonstrated, his will to lead and his intent to not back down from a fight. He has vowed to change the perception of America by the rest of the world and America's perception of the rest of the world. With regard to America's failing economy, he has taken great steps to reverse the downward spiral by approving astronomically large stimulus packages. He believes that he must fix the broken financial system and market, solve the housing crisis, as well as reform the educational and health care systems. While many are critical of President Obama's decision to fight all these battles at the same time, like any of the greatest leaders before him, the President sees this as a single battle made up of several factions.

I am mostly aligned with the position

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