Wrap-up

Along with making the right technology choices for the right reasons, are some additional policy questions:

• What will it take to get public health and clinical users psychologically and technically ready for Web applications?
• How will public health functions (registries, HANs) integrate with or compete with other technology initiatives such as electronic medical records, eligibility/claims/payment systems?
• Where will funding come from? Who will obtain the value and benefits?
• How will issues of confidentiality and security of sensitive health data be handled with users working from home or other distributed work sites distant from institutional controls?
• Will the emphasis on JIT (just in time) delivery result in data quality shortcuts or improve data accuracy and integrity?
• Who will be the leaders? What kinds of skills and knowledge will need to be blended for effective leadership?