By David W. Roberts, MPA, FHIMSS

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines system as "a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole." As I travel across the country, I realize more and more that America's healthcare delivery system really isn't a system. In fact, we have yet to even begin establishing a system. We have healthcare entities and programs that provide products and services, but they do not operate as a system. We have used the term "system" far too long without sincere thought and discussion about the necessity to fulfill its true meaning.

We must remain cognizant of the cautionary words Michelangelo penned five centuries ago, when he wrote, "The greater danger for most of us is not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark." In healthcare, that has almost become a mantra. We use terms like system everyday and miss the mark because we stop short of doing the long-term planning and work required to develop an "interacting, interdependent" system that forms a "unified whole."

However, change is difficult and won't happen in one congressional cycle or during any one presidential administration. Politics must take a back seat. If I were injured in a car accident and required emergency medical attention, I would not want the politics of healthcare to enter my examination room. I hope most Americans will agree that we should take the politics out of the system as well. In many cases, healthcare is a life or death issue and should be administered in a system that allows healthcare professionals to make decisions based on their professional training and experience, and provide the best possible care.

Moreover, the safety issues surrounding our current "system" of healthcare should create a sense of urgency. We must give serious thought to some tough questions: How safe is a system that permits the death of thousands of people annually from adverse drug interactions? How safe is a system that excludes nearly 9 million children who have no health insurance? How effective is a system that accepts the fact that 75% of uninsured children live with someone who works full-time? How safe and productive is a system that acknowledges and accepts the fact that parents may have to choose food for their children over annual physicals or routine visits to check on chronic conditions?

These are the questions that a real system would address instead of the politics of coverage and prescription medication. The system would be many units coming together to create a whole for the betterment of the populations it is designed to serve.

National Health IT Week
For example, this year on Tuesday, May 15th the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) sponsored its 6th Annual Health IT Day. Hundreds of healthcare and healthcare IT professionals from around our nation came to Washington, DC, and shared their experiences and visions for an improved system of healthcare that utilizes the best patient safety standards known. Health IT Day is part of National Health IT Week, a congressionally endorsed week-long series of events in Washington, DC, that calls attention to healthcare and healthcare IT issues. Most events during National Health IT Week are free of charge and all interested parties should join the invitation to come to Washington each year to personally share your experience and expertise with our nation's elected officials. More information is available at www.healthITweek.org.

It could take a decade or longer to create a system that is cost-efficient, productive, saves lives, and delivers quality care to all Americans. Transforming America's healthcare system is no easy task, but we must remember America is no stranger to tough challenges. We built the strongest democracy in the history of the world with the resolve and dedication to build a stronger America for future generations.

We must build a healthcare system that will sustain the physical, mental, and spiritual health of all Americans in the 21st century and beyond. We owe it to our children and grandchildren as well as to our ancestors who fought and died to preserve the life and liberty we enjoy today! Won't you be part of this healthcare transformation?