Bush addresses healthcare IT in final SOTU. Source: www.whitehouse.gov

In his final State of the Union address, President George W. Bush highlighted that IT adoption is critical in transforming the current healthcare system.
   
“To build a future of quality healthcare, we must trust patients and doctors to make medical decisions and empower them with better information and better options,” Bush said in the first 10 minutes of his address.

“We share a common goal of making healthcare more affordable and accessible for all Americans,” he continued.

Bush said healthcare IT is among the crucial factors affecting healthcare reform today, including the expansion of health savings accounts, the creation of association health plans for small businesses and the elimination of inappropriate medical lawsuits.

He also focused on consumer choice, not government control, to bring value to U.S. healthcare. His “value-driven healthcare plan” calls for EHRs and the reporting quality measures as a means of cutting costs and bringing transparency to a struggling healthcare system.

Throughout his address, Bush also emphasized that there is still a lot more work to be completed before the end of his term.