Groups Unveil Vision of Patient-Centered Care

A coalition of 27 health, aging, labor and consumer organizations has released a report, the "Consumer Platform for Health IT," which they call a vision for a patient-centered health care system.

Members of the Consumer Partnership for eHealth represent 127 million individuals. The platform represents five years of work by the organizations, according to the partnership. Consumers are the most significant untapped resources in health care and can contribute ideas and solutions that other stakeholders may never consider, according to the platform.  "Full engagement of consumers in leadership and decision-making roles at the policy and governance levels is essential, not just for gaining their trust and buy-in, but also for maximizing the likelihood of meeting patient and consumer needs," the platform states.

Developers of the platform lay out numerous expectations for what a "truly" patient-centered health care system should offer, including:

* Clinical information contributed by the individual is used to provide holistic care,

* The right information is provided to the right person at the right time,

* Information is used and presented in ways that are meaningful to the individual,

* Information is exchanged privately and securely without unnecessary barriers to its use, and

* Information is used to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all.

The platform is available at nationalpartnership.org/platform.

--Joseph Goedert