It's the new year, and soon-to-be President Barack Obama isn't the only one saying, "Yes we can." During Obama's aggressive transition period, groundwork has already been laid for healthcare reform that will include healthcare IT advancement as a key principle.

The grassroots efforts Obama used to get elected are still in play. Last month, under Obama's direction, volunteers across America held healthcare reform meetings in their homes. The Obama administration transition team said it would tally the results for consideration.

Though no one has said it outright, it's hard not to speculate on how this grass roots rallying might be used to sway resistant Republicans should the need arise. Stakeholders from every angle of healthcare IT are stepping forward to add to the 2009plans for reform, including, recently, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.

Though the plans vary, virtually no one is saying change is impossible. At the e-Health Initiative's annual conference in December, Joseph H. Kanter of the Joseph H. Kanter Foundation may have put it best when he said, "Dream big."