State of the Union speech omits mention of healthcare IT

Healthcare IT has been highlighted over the past four years in State of the Union speeches, though President Barack Obama made no mention of it in his Wednesday night speech.

Some stakeholders defend the Administration's support of health IT, while others question it. Bruce Merlin Fried, a partner at Sonnenschein, Nath and Rosenthal, LLP in Washington, DC, said while there was no mention of healthcare IT, it remains the one fundamental structure for healthcare reform that has been passed and been funded. "I hope that the Administration will use its HIT efforts to advance necessary reforms, like increased care coordination," Fried said.