WASHINGTON – Presidential candidates have begun lining up in the past month, as more Republicans declare their intentions of running. Several of them have strong ties to healthcare IT.
On May 11, former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich made his campaign official. He, in particular, is the one to watch on healthcare IT issues.
In 2003, Gingrich founded the Center for Health Transformation in Washington, D.C. He describes the organization as “a high-impact collaboration of private and public sector leaders committed to creating a 21st century intelligent health system that saves lives and saves money for all Americans.”
Gingrich also co-wrote, with former Senator Tom Daschle, the forward to the book Paper Kills 2.0: How Health IT Can Save Your Life and Your Money (CHT Press, 2007).
"Despite agreement on the broad goals of improving care and lowering costs, the past year has shown that finding common ground on health reform can seem impossible,” he wrote. “While it is important for policymakers to stand their ground when they must, it is equally as important to have the courage to collaborate when they should. Modernizing our system with health information technology is one of those issues."
[See also: Gingrich: IT, best practices could make healthcare reform affordable.]
If Gingrich survives his recent faux pas, in which he angered fellow Republicans by calling House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s Medicare-transforming budget plan “right-wing social engineering,” then he should be a GOP contender who's sure to back health IT.
Mitt Romney, another Republican hopeful, is also sure make some waves on healthcare issues and will likely lean heavily on health IT in his campaign.
On May 12, Romney spoke at the Cardiovascular Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. His highly promoted speech on healthcare had Democrats lathered to hear his defense of the nearly universal healthcare system launched in Massachusetts while Romney was governor.
With Romney’s knowledge of the complexities surrounding universal healthcare, his push for health IT uptake and its benefits will likely remain sound, despite the heat he takes over renouncing “RomneyCare.”
Republican contender Tim Pawlenty, the two-term governor of Minnesota, is popular with Republicans who considered him as a vice presidential running mate in 2008. Minnesota has always been considered a front-runner in healthcare, giving Pawlenty – or “T-Paw,” as he calls himself – an edge on the issues and a measure of success to put where his mouth is.
Of course, President Barack Obama has already established himself as a champion of healthcare IT, as early as the 2008 presidential race. His signature healthcare initiatives all include health IT as a basis for programs he stands by to reform healthcare payment models, eliminate medical errors and lower healthcare costs.
[See also: Obama gives HIT the nod in State of the Union speech.]
Follow Diana Manos on Twitter @DianaManosHITN.
