Health IT Could Reduce Care Disparities (posted 10/05)

Speaking at a recent conference as part of National Health IT week, Garth Graham, M.D., deputy assistant for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health, suggested that telemedicine and other health information technology (IT) tools could be leveraged to reduce racial and ethnic care disparities, Government Health IT reports.  Graham said that the HITECH Act, which was authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will require providers to collect and share data to better document care disparities.  Specifically, health officials anticipate that the improved data collection will help identify minority and underserved patients and ensure that they are receiving appropriate care. Noting that low-income and minority individuals are more likely to seek health information online, Graham suggested that the government and other stakeholders could leverage Web-based tools to promote various health goals or to disseminate information.  Reducing disparities among minority and underserved populations in urban and rural areas is a top priority of the administration, Graham said.  For more information click here.  To read the Government Health IT article click here.

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