2011-2013 Workshop on Health Information Technology and Economics

Health information technology (IT) research is being conducted in a variety of academic disciplines, including health services, medical informatics, computer science, public health, business, and economics. Each field brings unique insights into health IT research and practice, yet rarely do these fields collaborate. The annual Workshop on Health IT and Economics (WHITE) promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and communication in health IT research by providing a forum for knowledge creation, sharing, and dissemination. In addition to bringing together academic researchers engaged in health IT research, the workshop includes health IT funders, policymakers, and practitioners to help promote dialogue between these stakeholders.

The meeting organizers solicit papers on a wide range of topics, including: the effect of health IT on patient safety and quality; health IT adoption barriers; assimilation of health IT into workflows and organizations; impacts of health IT investments; measures and incentives for meaningful use; medical informatics; business models for health information exchange; and IT-enabled new organizational forms and delivery processes.

The specific aims of this project were to:

• Build the foundation for a multidisciplinary health IT research community by gathering researchers from medical informatics, computer science, public health, business, and economics.
• Provide a forum for leading researchers to disseminate cutting-edge findings and knowledge.
• Afford policymakers and practitioners the opportunity to shape the evolving health IT research agenda.
• Develop the next generation of health IT researchers.

WHITE is structured as a typical workshop, with a mix of paper sessions, keynote presentations, and panels. All of the aims for the project were successfully met. Participants represented 90 research institutes, ten federal agencies, and almost three dozen industry, policy, and practice organizations, with most attending every year. More than 100 papers were presented at WHITE, representing the latest thinking and evidence across issues central to achieving quality, value, and performance from the health sector through the use of information technology. A range of policymaker, patient, clinical, and industry perspectives have been debated. WHITE has established a true multi- and trans-disciplinary community where scholars across diverse fields have an opportunity to exchange perspectives.