Looking back at 2008 by ehealth chief editor

张琨

Looking back at 2008
I have had the pleasure during the course of 2008 to deliver the news that matters most to you and the health care information industry. Part I of this eHealth SmartBrief special year-end report rounds up the most important trends, stories and events of the past year. Part II, which will arrive in your inbox Thursday, will provide a glimpse into what you -- the readers of eHealth SmartBrief -- and I think 2009 has in store.
The year began with news of a study from market research firm Input that showed state and local health IT spending is expected to grow from $6.9 billion in 2007 to $10.8 billion in 2012, driven by major growth in Medicaid Management Information Systems investments. The news this year was also dominated by the presidential election, in which President-elect Barack Obama was chosen. Before the election, more than half of respondents to a Kaiser Permanente survey said they wanted the next president to make health care IT a priority. And in November, CMS introduced plans to offer incentives to doctors who adopt electronic prescriptions in 2009.
This year's conferences took health IT members to Atlanta for the National Quality Forum 2008 Implementation Conference on Care Coordination; to San Francisco for the Fifth Annual Healthcare Unbound Conference & Exhibition; and to Sioux Falls, S.D., for the 2nd Annual Health Information Technology Summit, among numerous other seminars, forums and workshops. It has been an exciting and eventful year.
And now, here's what was most important to you in 2008.