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ITAA Backs Use of “Networked Healthcare” To Save Dollars and Save Lives

Arlington, VA, – The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) today applauded a call by a technology company executive for greater emphasis on prevention as a means to control chronic illnesses and lower Medicare costs.

Appearing before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Aging on June 30, Stephen J. Brown, President and CEO of Health Hero Network and chairman of the ITAA E-Health Committee, said, “Most analysts agree that there are currently 6 million Medicare patients, most with severe chronic illness…who account for 75 percent of Medicare spending.”

Brown cited an ITAA white paper, Chronic Care Improvement: How Medicare Transformation Can Save Lives, Save Money, and Stimulate an Emerging Technology Industry, that concludes Medicare could save over $30 billion a year in chronic care costs by using coaching and monitoring strategies previously employed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Brown added that information technology can modernize chronic care delivery, extending it into the home, helping patients improve their lives, and providing care before a health crisis occurs.

A copy of the white paper is available by clicking here.

The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) provides global public policy, business networking, and national leadership to promote the continued rapid growth of the IT industry. ITAA consists of over 380 corporate members throughout the U.S. The Association plays the leading role in issues of IT industry concern including information security, taxes and finance policy, digital intellectual property protection, telecommunications competition, workforce and education, immigration, online privacy and consumer protection, government IT procurement, human resources and e-commerce policy. ITAA members range from the smallest IT start-ups to industry leaders in the Internet, software, IT services, ASP, digital content, systems integration, telecommunications, and enterprise solution fields. For more information visit www.itaa.org. ITAA is secretariat of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance, consisting of 67 IT trade associations around the world.