The History of eHealth

eHealth is a term used to describe the convergence of technology in the health care industry. eHealth encompasses broad aspects of how technology and healthcare intersect, such as through the use of the Internet and World Wide Web to distribute and share information to the public and individuals and to serve a local, regional and international community. The open flow of information between institutions and individuals through technology enhances and improves health care, experts feel.

Creation of Program in eHealth Innovation

• In 2000, the University Health Network and the University of Toronto started a program in eHealth Innovation in Canada. The intent was to gather health care experts, along with scientists and information technology (IT) experts to develop the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation. According to the center's website, the mission was to "Imagine a world in which people, regardless of who they are or where they live, use state-of-the-art information and communications technologies with enthusiasm, proficiency and confidence, to achieve the highest possible levels of health and to help health systems make the most efficient use of available resources."

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation developed its Health e-Technologies Initiative in 2002. The initiative is intended to promote eHealth for the health behavior change and chronic disease management sectors of the health care industry. One of the initial steps was to conduct a survey of eHealth stakeholders to glean the advantages and disadvantages of this emerging use of technology. Thirty-eight interviews were conducted and demonstrated a diverse view of the eHealth concept.

Empowering the Citizen in Europe

• In 2004, the leadership in Ireland held a conference on eHealth with the intent to empower the citizen. Also in 2004, a taskforce was formed to promote and allow for a public discussion on the effectiveness of eHealth technologies that were being developed and deployed throughout Europe. The key elements to the initiative was to empower the citizen and to ensure that eHealth allowed them to control their heath information and treatment and to feel that decisions about their health were being made in their best interests.

President Bush Signs Executive Order

• An initiative to focus on eHealth was implemented in 2004 through an executive order by President George W. Bush. The initiative was intended to promote and support IT projects that would decrease errors in medical records, give doctors and patients access to reliable information, and increase efficiencies throughout the health care system. The executive order propelled the Department of Health and Human Services to create the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in 2004 and to develop several initiatives, such as the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel, the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology, and the Health Information Privacy and Security Collaboration.

American Health Information Community

• A year after the executive order, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt engineered the creation of the American Health Information Community. This panel was made up of health care leaders representing many facets of the industry. Their charge was to make recommendations to the secretary regarding ways to boost the use of IT in the health sector. The panel was disbanded in 2008.