The application of technology in the health care world has the ability to transform the nation's health care delivery system, much like it has in other industries. Its full potential will only be realized, however, if consumers are engaged in the efforts to implement and use these new technologies. The Children's Partnership is working to improve child health outcomes through more engaged consumers.

Resources:

• Maximizing the Value of HIT to Improve the Health of Children: A Guide for Consumer Engagement
  Connect, inform, empower, and protect - four guide posts to ensure effective engagement of child and parent consumers through better access to and use of electronic health information.
• The Consumer Platform for Health IT: Advancing Patient and Family Engagement through Technology
  This report by the Consumer Partnership for eHealth (of which The Children's Partnership is a member) outlines a vision for how HIT can advance patient-centered, consumer-focused health care outcomes.
• HealthIT.gov: Advancing America's Health Care
  This web resource by The Office of the National Coordinator for HIT provides information to help consumers learn the role of HIT in improving their health care.

Reports Related to HIT:
The Children's Partnership has released the following resources addressing consumer engagement through the use of HIT.

• Easy, Efficient, and Real-Time (EER): A Framework for a First-Class Health Insurance Enrollment Experience in California
• A Step-by-Step Guide to Health Insurance Enrollment In California
• From Silos to Linkages: Improving Outcomes for Vulnerable Youth Through the Wise Use of Information Technology