The drumbeat for greater use of IT in health care is growing. Pam Mitroff, Secure Service Corp.’s Director of Public Relations and Communications recently attended a National Association of Health Underwriters meeting in Washington, D.C. She told me that almost every speaker included the need for IT in health care as a part of their remarks.A number of speakers spoke of using technology to improve quality of care. They noted that many senior citizens would benefit if their doctors had easy access to medical information. Many seniors see six or more doctors so coordinating care is important.An EHR (electronic health record) is not necessarily the best answer to enhanced coordination of care. EHRs are provider-centric. The information is input and maintained by the medical provider. If providers are linked, continuity of care can be improved through sharing of medical information.A better solution is a patient-centric PHR (personal health record). Patients have a funny habit of seeking care from a variety of sources. A PHR captures information from every medical encounter either through entries made by the patient or by the provider of care – whether they’re in the same medical network or on the other side of the continent.There is no doubt that bringing technological solutions to health care can increase efficiency and improve quality of care. SSC’s SHAPE suite of products, including the SHAPE PHR, is at the forefront of this growing movement.SHAPE – Secure information at the tip of your finger.