Mostashari: 'Our healthcare system is in trouble'

Healthcare IT stakeholders gathered Oct. 14 in Washington for a work meeting, discussing ways IT could help improve transitions in care. The invitation-only meeting was hosted by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, the John A. Hartford Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Kaiser Permanente. Attendees included federal officials, electronic health record vendors, entrepreneurs, grantees, leaders from ONC's Beacon Communities and foundation funding organizations. "We basically have all the tribes together today," said Aaron McKethan, director of ONC's Beacon Program, as he kicked off the meeting. National Coordinator Farzad Mostashari, MD, was both realistic and optimistic in his charge to attendees. "Our healthcare system is in trouble," he said. "It doesn't keep people safe and it's too costly. But I'm incredibly optimistic that this is the time when we're going make this better."