"The nation's economic woes have given birth to an unprecedented federal effort to modernize the information systems of a troubled healthcare system. It is now up to the government and the nation's healthcare professionals and facilities to turn this opportunity into real improvements in the health and healthcare of Americans."

— David Blumenthal, MD, President Barack Obama's choice to be national coordinator of HIT discussing a study he coauthored that concludes that the "very low levels" of adoption of EHRs in U.S. hospitals suggest that policymakers face "substantial obstacles" to achieve healthcare performance goals that depend on HIT, "Study: policy push is needed for hospitals' adoption of HIT."