Policies Designed to Achieve a Data-Driven Learning Healthcare System: A Decade of Progress and Future Directions

Abstract

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act have been instrumental in accelerating a fundamental shift in health IT implementation and use across the US. In addition, the ACA promoted the development of new approaches to organizing and aligning incentives, such as accountable care organizations (ACOs), bundled payments, and patient-centered medical homes, all of which were designed to improve healthcare value by controlling costs while improving quality. Such initiatives hold promise for shifting risk for healthcare outcomes to providers, thereby incentivizing more coordinated, efficient care that primarily promotes patient and population health, and simultaneously stimulates the use of efficient evidence-based best medical practices, while avoiding unnecessary expenditures. However, fully achieving this vision requires more work to modernize the healthcare sector in numerous ways, including through investments in digital capabilities. In this chapter, we explore ways to build upon the technological foundations encouraged and enabled by HITECH and the ACA to improve health and healthcare for individuals and populations.